


Thursday's Child

by taytayloulou, Turntechgodliness (AmberzillaRex)



Series: Monday's Child Series [2]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abuse, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, M/M, Multi, Panic Attacks, Polyamory, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-02-17 19:32:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 21
Words: 56,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13083855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taytayloulou/pseuds/taytayloulou, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberzillaRex/pseuds/Turntechgodliness
Summary: You can take the boy out of the Isle, but the Isle stays with you even across the sea and the path of forgiveness is paved with heartbreak and six teenagers just trying to get by.(This is the sequel to Wednesday's Child)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I told you there'd be a sequel!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> That's it that's all I've got haha. This isn't edited cause I rushed to post it at work sooooo hopefully it's not bad.

Everything in Auradon was brighter.

The lights, the paint on the wall, even the tiles on the floor of the small, sterile room he sat in seemed so much brighter than anything he had been witness to on the Isle. The air smelled fresher, felt lighter inside where it was circulated through an artificial system, and Carlos de Vil had never felt anything so wonderful in his entire fifteen years of existence.

Ben had promised a better life for him in Auradon, and in the three days he had been stuck in the private hospital room after their arrival from the Isle, Carlos had to conclude that the king hadn’t been lying. Gil sat in the hallway next to his room, the two connected by a large observation window that allowed the two of them to wave at each other while the doctors and nurses examined Carlos, assuring he wasn’t alone even if he wasn’t allowed contact with anyone but the doctors who had spent the better part of the past two and a half days taking blood and giving physical examinations to all five newcomers from the Isle.

Uma, Harry, Gil and Dizzy had been released the day before, Harry and Uma heading off to Atlantica to meet with Ariel and Eric with with promise to contact Carlos and Gil as soon as possible to update them on the Naval Academy while Dizzy had been swept away by Evie to meet her aunt. Gil had refused to leave the hospital at his discharge, wary of leaving Carlos alone with so many strange adults, and Ben had arranged for the older teen to be allowed to stay as long as he remained out of the doctors' way as they continued to look over Carlos.

He had already learned that he was severely underweight and undersized for his age- something he hadn’t needed a medical professional to alert him to- and that he had two ribs that were fractured still from earlier in the week. The doctors made him nervous; too many unknown adults with needles, requesting he sit this way or remove this article of clothing, something he absolutely refused to do for the two nurses that had been assigned to his care. It had taken almost four hours for him to agree to having the cut on his head looked at, and though the doctor had praised him for barely wincing as he stitched him up, he felt no gratitude towards the man who had also talked about him to the king as though he wasn’t sitting in the same room as them.

He was suppose to be waiting for his blood tests to come back; Ben and the doctor had stepped out of the room to talk, and Carlos found his anxiety getting the better of him as he waited for the man to return with more information about his body. Gil stood with his nose pressed to the window, making faces at Carlos in an attempt to get him to smile, and Carlos couldn’t help but give a small chuckle as Gil attempted to make a face like a blowfish against the glass. The others had been granted a shower upon arrival at the hospital, and Carlos eagerly awaited the approval to be taken to the showers himself, tired of the dirt and grunge staining his skin from the auction three days before. He’d been allowed a quick sponge bath, but it hadn’t been enough to remove the layer of grime coating him from when his mother had thrown him to the ground off the stage, and he wanted to be clean.

“Carlos, I’m Dr. Joshua Sweet, a doctor here at the hospital. Ben’s informed me that you’ve had a pretty rough time, and I was hoping we could discuss some of your injuries to your body?” Carlos shrank back against the wall he had been leaning against as a large, dark skinned man entered the room, approaching his bed as Carlos’ eyes darted towards the window where Ben had moved to stand with Gil.

“What are you a specialist for? They wouldn’t have switched doctors on me without my needing some sort of specialist.” The teen spoke matter-of-factly, eyes trailing back to the doctor as he pulled up a seat next to the bed.

Sweet offered Carlos a smile, shifting his chair back a fraction to give the boy more space between them as he began to talk. “Well, I’m technically a surgeon and abuse specialist, but I’ve got a degree in several different fields. You’re a very sharp boy, not many people would think that a switch in doctors meant a need for a specialist. Doctor Wilson, the man who was here earlier, felt that you might be more comfortable talking to me than talking to him about your injuries.” Sweet gestured to Carlos’ neck, and the teen reached up to gingerly touch where he knew dark, mottled bruises and deep cuts stained his skin under stark white bandages. “I’d like to talk to you about the abuse you’ve suffered, too, if that’s alright.”

Carlos frowned, letting his fingers drop to his collar as he took in the open expression on the man’s face. The previous doctor had been off putting for him- he reminded him too much of Jasper in his mannerisms and it had made him incredibly uncomfortable and anxious, forcing him to change out of his familiar clothes into a hospital gown even when Carlos had stated that he didn’t feel comfortable with it. Sweet seemed to be less intrusive, more willing to work with him to get answers but less likely to try and force a subject, and he knew that Ben wouldn’t allow him to be released from the hospital without talking to at least one of the doctors about his scattered scars and bruises.

“I guess that’s alright.” He stated, drawing his knees to his chest as he rested his chin on them gingerly. “What do you want to know?”

Sweet held up a clipboard, offering it to Carlos along with a pen. “We’re just going to talk, Carlos. You can even take these and make notes that you think are important for me to know, if you want, but I just want to get to know you. Is that alright?” Carlos nodded, taking the items to tuck between his stomach and his legs before returning to his previous position, wide brown eyes on the man before him. “Let’s start with something easy. Can you tell me your full name, your parents' names, your age and any important medical information that might be good for me to know?”

Carlos frowned, debating if it was truly important for the man to know any of the information he was asking, before giving a small sigh. “Carlos Oscar de Vil. My mom;s name is Cruella de Vil. My father’s name was Jonathan, or at least that’s what my mom’s minions have told me his name was though I’m pretty sure they were lying to me. I just turned fifteen about a week and a half ago, though I’m not actually sure when my birthday is? I know i was born this month. I know it was fifteen years ago. I don’t know the day...Aunt Grimhilde says no one knew I was born until one day mom showed up with me in the market. I’m...not sure what sort of medical information is important for you to know?”

Sweet leant back in his seat, attempting to be as non-intrusive into Carlos’ personal space as possible, and the teen couldn’t help but appreciate the effort. “Do you know your blood type or any allergies you have?” Carlos shook his head, and Sweet gave a nod. “Do you want to tell me what happened with your neck, Carlos?”

He reached for his throat again, frowning as he let his fingers trace along the bandage. “Didn’t they tell you what happened?” Carlos asked, perturbed that the doctor wasn’t as informed as he’d previously appeared.

The doctor chuckled, not moving in his seat, and nodded. “They did, but I’d like to hear it from you. Sometimes people leave out important details when they’re just an observer.”

Carlos tilted his head to the side, giving a small nod as he thought back to what had happened back on the Isle. “My mom put a choke chain on me.” Sweet gave a nod, remaining silent as he waited for Carlos to continue speaking, and the teen frowned some as his fingers brushed along the bandage around his throat, picking at the tape holding it in place. “Mom use to kick the shit out of me a lot. The chain thing...that was new, but it’s not the worse thing she’s ever done.” He flashed a look at the man, trying to judge what the doctor was thinking. “I’m sure you’ve seen the medical reports. I have a lot of scars, burns and cuts and whatever other shit she felt was good punishment for my existing. I know you’ve seen the reports.” He let his gaze drop some, fingers curling into the blanket he had draped over his lap as he took a slow, steadying breath. “I’m not stupid. I know you’ve seen the reports, I know you know what my mom’s done to me. Do I really have to talk about it?” There was a soft hum, and Carlos jumped slightly as a large hand moved to tap the bed beside his leg.

“If you really don’t want to talk about it right now, I won’t make you. But I am going to suggest you talk to someone at some point, you understand that, don’t you?” Carlos nodded, averting his gaze to the side as Sweet leant back in his seat, and the doctor gave a sigh. “I know you’re a bright boy, Carlos. So I’m not going to sugar coat anything or treat you like a child when it comes to your medical information. You’ve had a lot of what some would consider major trauma, but you’ve healed from a lot of it surprisingly well. I’m honestly most concerned about the effects of your mother’s abuse on you, but you’ve already agreed to therapy as a term to your being here in Auradon. Your neck will heal in time, and there’s some creams we can give you to lessen the scars that you have. I know that Dr. Wilson spoke to you about your leg- did he discuss the options available for recovery?”

Carlos gave a nod, chewing on his lower lip as he shifted slightly on the cot. “Uh, he said I could either do physio at the school or I could opt for surgery to repair the tendon damage, which is more risky. I didn’t think that an injury that old could be fixed though…” He glanced up, curious. “Is the medical system here really that efficient?”

Sweet chuckled, giving a nod as he gestured to the room around them. “We have a lot more available to us here than you do on the Isle. King Benjamin and I have discussed the idea of bringing more modern medicine to the residents of the Isle, but it’s a process we have to work up to with the council. But we can certainly fix the damage done to your leg, yes.” Carlos gave a small smile, and Sweet moved to stand. “From the looks of it, your blood works come back mostly clear- your white blood count is a little low, but otherwise you look about as healthy as can be expected. You’re free to leave.” Carlos sat up properly, eyes wide at the news, and Sweet chuckled as the teen shoved the blanket off of himself, getting to his feet. “I imagine you might want some real clothing…”

The boy stilled, glancing around the room and frowning when he realized his own clothes were nowhere to be seen. “Where are my clothes?” He asked, one hand moving to keep the opening in the back of his hospital gown closed as he turned to look at the bedside table.

“They were filthy, so Ben took them to get cleaned. I believe Evie sent over some things for you to wear in the meantime, though, so you won’t have to wear that gown out of the hospital don’t worry.” The doctor held out a simple black and white striped t-shirt and a pair of black, red and white shorts, along with some underpants and socks. “Your jacket’s with Gil out in the hallway, if you want to go change in the bathroom.”

Carlos nodded, taking the clothes and edging his way around to the bathroom, closing the door behind him to quickly rid himself of the paper thin cloth gown before hurriedly pulling on the clothing Evie had sent for him. They clothes were too big- Evie had overestimated his size, clearly going off what she remembered as opposed to what he actually weighed now. The shorts hung low on his hips and the shirt was almost a full size too big, but it was better than nothing and he was sure Ben would allow him to get his own clothing back before they went to the school. Exiting the room, he was pleased to note that Sweet hadn’t moved; the man seemed to realize that Carlos didn’t trust him, and Carlos couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that the doctor wasn’t trying to use his size to intimidate him like so many other adults seemed to.

“Will I be able to see you when I come back for my other appointments?” The question was stated flatly, little emotion escaping the teen as he moved to place the gown into the laundry bin near the bathroom door. He then proceeded to tidy the few small things around the room as he waited for a response, his hands needing to move as he straightened the vase of flowers on the nightside table before moving to make the cot properly. He could feel Sweet’s eyes following him around the room, and he had to resist the urge to lash out and yell at the man to stop watching him as he tucked the blanket under the thin mattress.

“Would you like to see me when you come back?” Carlos gave a nod, not looking up, and Sweet hummed. “I can arrange for you to see me if you like. I have an opening in two weeks for a check up for you to see how you’re doing, does that sound alright? You can give me your decision on what you want to do about your leg then.”

Again, Carlos nodded, straightening out and tucking his hands into his pockets to keep himself from fidgeting. “I’d like that.”

Sweet nodded and moved slowly to stand up from his seat, careful to not move to fast. Carlos appreciated the gesture, though he didn’t feel ill at ease around the man; he’d had plenty of opportunity to attack him so far and hadn’t, and Carlos couldn’t help but think that with Ben and Gil staring into the room he wouldn’t either.

“Alright. I’ll see you then; Ben will keep track of your appointments here for now until you’ve settled if that’s alright with you. He also as the prescriptions for your creams and some antibiotics and painkillers to help with your throat.” Carlos gave a shrug, and Sweet extended a hand to him, causing the teen to stare at it awkwardly. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Carlos.” Carlos hesitantly reached out to shake the man’s hand before retracting his own back quickly, and Sweet gave him a nod before leaving the room, leaving the door open for him.

Gil was quick to enter the room, bounding to Carlos’ side to look him over. “Are you okay? They wouldn’t tell me anything about you but they’re letting you go so that means you’re okay right.” Gil’s words were tinged with worry, and Carlos gave him a gentle smile as he took the jacket that the blond held out to him.

“I’m alright. I mean, for the most part. They gave me some stuff to take to feel better I guess, so they’re letting me out...were you okay? Did they say there was anything wrong with you?” He took a moment to check Gil over; the older teen looked fine, if not a little worried, but one could never be too sure.

“Oh yeah, I’m okay! Uh, they said I had high cholesterol? And I have to go on a special diet to fix it, but other then that I’m all good. Ben says we’re going to the school, are you ready to go?”

Carlos looked at Ben who remained standing in the doorway, seemingly unwilling to intrude. “Yeah, I’m ready. Let’s get this show on the road, your highness.”

Ben rolled his eyes, gesturing for the two to follow him out of the room before falling into step beside Carlos, Gil practically clinging to the youngest’s side. “I did ask you to call me Ben, Carlos. None of that 'your highness' shit.”

Carlos grinned; Ben had shown to be a sort of enigma- the picture perfect prince by day, but with a dark streak that Carlos appreciated whenever the older teen came to the hospital to visit him. “But it’s so fun to see you get flustered, your majesty.” he teased, and Ben snorted as he lead them down to the elevator that would take them to the main lobby. Carlos hesitated at the small, enclosed box as the doors opened, and Ben paused before switching his step to open the door beside the elevator, leading them to the stairs instead without calling attention to it.

“It’s rude. It might even be treason of some kind, I haven’t looked it up yet.” He said, causing Carlos to snicker, and Gil grinned at the sound of the younger teen’s mirth. “Are you ready to start your new life at Auradon Prep?” The king offered him a soft smile when Carlos silently shrugged. “I’ll be there the whole time while you get use to it, and so will Gil. So will the others...they can’t wait to see you, Carlos.” The mention of his old friends caused him to slow slightly, and Ben frowned as he pushed the door to the lobby open, allowing the two other teens to exit first. “You know you can’t avoid them forever, Carlos...they’re sorry and they want to make it up to you.”

Carlos groaned- it was an argument they’d had twice over during his stay in the hospital, and he was beginning to get tired of it. “I said I would consider it, Ben. Please don’t push me on it.”

Ben sighed, but nodded, and the three started towards the limo that was awaiting them. He held the door open for them once they arrived, and Carlos and Gil slid into the vehicle before Ben joined them, the three sitting in silence as the car began.

After a moment, Carlos heaved a heavy sigh, leaning against Gil and casting a look at Ben, taking in the serious look on the teen’s face. “I’ll give it a shot...if you stop harassing me about it. And don’t expect miracles.”

Ben nodded, a smile sneaking across his lips, and Carlos wrinkled his nose as he turned his attention to the road outside the window, watching as green grass and tall, healthy trees sped by.

It was time to start his new life...and he was more than ready.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter and the next one are gunna be a bit smaller because they’re sort of setting up the scene in Auradon Prep/ hello yes it’s the holidays and my household is a hot mess.

Auradon Prep was more like a castle than any school Carlos had ever been to, though his knowledge of schools extended as far as Dragon Hall and the courtyard of Serpent Prep. The school itself was huge, with brown bricks and long halls with deep coloured wood and expensive looking wallpaper that seemed to go on forever, and as Ben lead him down the hallway of the dormitory wing he couldn’t help but take in the massive difference in architecture between the school and...well, any building on the Isle.

“The building is almost three hundred years old, it use to be my fathers castle, back before Auradon was formed. He donated the building when the school was formed and he and my mother moved to the castle we live in now.” Ben had been rambling about the history of the school since the three had arrived several minutes previous, and though the information was certainly useful to know, Carlos couldn’t help but notice the almost nervous behaviour of the king.

“It’s a fancy school, Ben. Very...Auradonian. But what I’d like to know-“ he sidled in front of the older teen, pressing his hands firmly to Ben’s chest to still him as he looked up through his lashes at the king, “-is why your anxiety seems to be getting worse the closer we get to our supposed destination of my new room.” Ben’s cheeks flushed as Carlos pressed his fingertips slowly along the line of buttons down the front of the crisp white shirt the king wore, blinking seemingly too large eyes at him as Ben’s eyes widened slightly as Carlos’ fingers stopped on his stomach, his hands moving to grasp Carlos’ smaller ones with a frown.

“You don’t have to do that to get information from me, Carlos. You just have to ask.” Carlos frowned, letting his hands drop slightly, catching the gentle way Ben slowly released his hands. The older teen intrigued him- soft in a way that felt too vulnerable for a monarch, but with a hardness that sat with Carlos from the kings behavior on the Isle. “I just remembered that I forgot to tell you about your room situation.” Carlos tilted his head as he watched Ben struggle with what he wanted to tell him, picking up the look the king gave the quiet pirate beside him.

“Gil.” Gil’s attention immediately turned to Carlos, the larger teen turning fully to face him as Carlos gave him an encouraging smile, “who am I rooming with?” Gil blinked before glancing at Ben, licking his lips before tucking his hands in his pockets nervously.

“Me, C.” Carlos jumped slightly at the sudden voice behind him, spinning on his heel with a fist raised before realizing that the teen behind him wasn’t about to attack.

“And me, we’re both rooming with Jay!” Gil was quick to interject, stepping between Carlos and Jay as the ex thief exited their dorm room. Carlos let his gaze fall on Jay, who stood with his shoulder against the wall, muscular arms crossed over his chest as he smiled nervously at the trio.

“Is that okay?” Ben asked softly from beside him, one hand moving almost unconsciously to rest on the small of Carlos’ back as he studied him. Carlos’ eyes flickered from Jay to Ben, noting the tension that both boys carried as he considered the information. He assumed that Ben had made the decision to place him with Jay- it seemed like the sort of ploy the hopelessly optimistic king would set in motion to ‘start the healing process’ or some other ridiculous notion, and while he was hesitant to share a room with one of the people who had left him behind, the fact that Gil would also be sharing a room with him helped soothe his anxiety. 

“It’ll have to be, I imagine.” He muttered, lips tilting downward as he gave a small shrug, brushing past Jay to gaze into the room the older teen had exited from. The room was massive; easily as large as the parlour in Hell Hall, it fit three beds in a line against the far wall, three desks between the beds and a couch and television set up along the wall to his left. To his right was a door that appeared to lead to a bathroom, and between the entertainment area and the beds three closets were situated along the wall. “This whole room is for us?” He asked, slightly awed at the sheer size of the room, his gaze falling on the bed closest to the closets that had his duffel bag on it. “I get a real bed?” Ben and Jay exchanged a silent look behind his back as he made his way to the bed, the three older teens watching him as he pressed his hand into the soft mattress, eyes wide. His hand sank into the cushioned top, a tightness building in his chest as he realized he would never have to sleep on the floor, or in the same bed as Jafar or Gaston, again. 

“I know it’s not the same as having your own room but you guys getting enrolled sort of happened last minute and FG thought a familiar face might help.” Jay’s voice was soft as he moved to sit on the bed next to Carlos’, watching the younger teen as he ran his hands over the thick comforter draped over the bed. Carlos couldn’t help but notice the way Jay’s eyes moved over him as he shifted to sit on the bed, as though the older teen couldn’t believe that Carlos was sitting before him, like he was scared to look away in case Carlos vanished. Part of him enjoyed the fact that Jay seemed almost afraid to reach out for him- the other boy had hurt him, deeper than anything the adults in their lives had, and Carlos wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. 

“It’s better than a fur closet.” He stated, glancing around the room again to avoid the intense looks being exchanged by Ben and Jay, the odd intimacy of the looks causing a sting in his chest. 

“We could make a Fort bed like we did on the ship, C, these beds are totally big enough.” Carlos glanced at Gil, taking in the cheerful grin, and couldn’t help but be selfishly glad the other teen had decided to stay in Auradon instead of heading to Atlantica with Uma and Harry.

“We could, Yeah.” Gil beamed, and Carlos turned his attention to Ben and Jay once more. “I think I’d like to get settled alone, please.” Cruella had beaten Yes sirs and pleases into him, her own form of obedience training that had stuck with him from before he could even remember, ands fourteen years of walking on eggshells and learning to please people had stuck with him, ingrained into his very soul.

“Of course, Carlos. Jay, we should go find Mal and Evie before dinner.” Jay cast a look at Carlos, chewing the corner of his lip as the younger teen stared blankly at him, before nodding to Ben, moving to stand before pausing a moment, staring down at Carlos.

“I’ll be back in a few hours...could we maybe talk then?” Carlos gave a small shrug, and Jay sighed before turning to leave the room, Ben following behind him. As the door clicked closed, Carlos allowed himself to flop back onto the. Ed with a whine, Gil moving to climb onto the plush mattress beside him, careful to keep his distance in case Carlos needed it.

“I would have been happier without sharing a room with him.” Gil frowned, leaning over Carlos to place a hand beside the smaller teens hop on the bed, his blond hair falling into his face as he gave Carlos a look at his words.

“C’mon C, you’re smart enough to know they wouldn’t jump at a chance to force you to forgive them.” Carlos sighed, reaching to brush Gil’s hair back behind his ear, and a small smile curled the younger teens lips.

“And someone was smart enough to realize I wouldn’t stay in this room without you. I wonder who that was.” Brushing his fingertips along Gil’s strong jawline, Carlos slid his fingers back to curl around the older teens neck, pulling him down into a gentle kiss. Gil hummed, sliding his hand to grasp Carlos’ hip as he tilted his head into the kiss, before pulling away with a soft sigh, eyes roaming over Carlos’ face before he shifted to lay on his side, his arm looping around the smaller teens stomach to pull him against him.

“I didn’t want to be separated from you so I put up a fuss. Said I needed you cause I’m too dumb to know where my own room was.” Carlos snorted, pressing himself back into the familiar warmth of Gil as he shook his head slightly. “One of these days, someone other than me is going to realize you aren’t as dumb as you play yourself up to be, young Gilbert.” Gil snickered, digging his fingers into Carlos’ side as he pressed his nose against his neck, careful of the bandage hiding the damage Cruella had done with the choke chain..

“Why did he even call me that, Jafar’s so weird.” Carlos snorted, grasping Gil’s hand to prevent him from tickling him more. 

“Jafar was all sorts of fucked up, Gil. The whole Isle was. And Auradon is suppose to be better but let’s face it, their entire social structure is inherently flawed, as is their judicial system. I’m not holding out for utopia here.” Gil frowned, and Carlos pat the arm around him lightly. “But we’ll have food. Warm beds. And we’re far away from our parents.” Gil hummed, tightening his arm some. 

“You don’t think they can get off the Isle, do you?” Gil asked, and Carlos frowned. The likelihood of their parents being smart enough to figure out how to break the barrier was minuscule at best, and there was little hope of them getting off the Isle by physically leaving.

“I doubt they’d be capable of it, Gil. We’re safe here, I think.” His thoughts travelled to Jay, Mal and Evie and his frown deepened, mind rolling around their betrayal and subsequent rescue of him. “From our parents, at least.” Gil nodded, and Carlos gave a sigh, curling his fingers into the comforter under him. 

“You tired, C?” Gil’s voice was soft, warm breath against his neck a comfort as Carlos let his eyes close for a moment. Being at the hospital had been exhausting; though there was little more to do than sleep between tests, he had found it difficult with so many strange adults constantly in and out of his room. 

“I could nap.” He murmured, earning a soft chuckle from the older boy as Gil reached to tuck a pillow under their heads. Once they were settled comfortably, Gil placed a soft kiss to Carlos’ temple before giving a hum.

“Then nap, Carlos. I got you.” Carlos smiled, curling into the warmth and comfort of the other boy as he allowed himself to drift off for a nap that he, Frankly, felt he deserved.

He’d need all his energy to deal with Jay, anyways.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I’m not really happy with this chapter so I’m apologizing in advance, holidays got me like bluh.

The room was dark when Carlos finally opened his eyes, a soft glow from the muted television the only source of light in the room as brown eyes peeked out of the pile of blankets he found himself in. He glanced towards the couch, blinking sleep from his eyes as he caught sight of Gil and Jay in what appeared to be a heated, whispered argument. Yawning, he pushed himself up from the blankets, catching the two older boy’s attention as he stretched his arms above his head.

“What are you guys fighting about?” He asked, words loud in the quiet of the room. The two exchanged a look, and Gil moved to sit on the end of the bed as Jay made his way to sit across from Carlos’ on Gil’s. 

“I thought you could come have dinner with Mal, Evie, Ben and I.” Jay stated, glancing from Carlos’ face to glare slightly at Gil. “Just us. The others are waiting at Lumière’s for us.” Carlos frowned, shifting to push himself up the bed to lean against the headboard.

“That feels a little bit unfair to me. Gil comes or I don’t.” Jay frowned, leaning to reach towards Carlos some, and Carlos held up his hand to keep him from getting too close. “Please don’t.” Jay stilled, eyes widening as Gil reached to push him back away from Carlos with a scowl.

“I’m not gunna hurt you, C. I swear I’m not. I just...I missed touching you, being close with you while we were here.” Jay’s words were spoken as a plea, though he remained seated back away from the younger teen as Carlos reached to press his fingers to the bandage on his neck, his face almost expressionless. 

“You need to really not, buddy.” Gil stated, eyes flickering from Jay to Carlos as he pressed a hand to Jay’s chest. “If Carlos doesn’t want you touchin’ him, you don’t touch him.” Jay frowned, giving Gil a look as Carlos let his hand drop into his lap, edging away from both teens. 

“Either both of us go to dinner or I don’t go at all.” Carlos reiterated, voice steadier than he felt, and he shied away from Gil some, suddenly uncomfortable with the proximity of both boys. “You missed me so much but you never sent for me, Jay. What am I supposed to feel about that? Take my condition, or eat supper by yourself.” Pushing himself off the bed, he moved into the bathroom, closing and locking the door as a wave of anxiety washed over him. Leaning against the door, he took a few deep breaths as he closed his eyes, listening to the murmur of conversation through the heavy wood. The words were too muffled for him to hear, and he moved to the sink to turn the water on, splashing his face a few times. He wasn’t ready to face the others. Wasn’t ready to forgive them, wasn’t ready to not forgive them. He felt conflicted, as though the idea of forgiving them was complicated beyond comprehension. Grabbing a towel he wiped his face dry, leaning on the counter with a sigh before looking at himself in the mirror. Pale, bruise mottled skin with too many freckles met his sight, dark bags under his eyes from too little sleep and bright white bandage like a collar around his throat, announcing his mother’s abuse for the world to see. 

Auradon was suppose to be a new start. Ben had told him that it would be hard in the beginning, that things were different than on the Isle, but the hardest part was not letting Jay back in. He knew he wouldn't be able to turn down the dinner invitation - he had promised to at least try, and he was a man of his word- but having Gil with him would help ease the tension he could already feel tugging at his shoulders. Giving a disgruntled sigh, he realized he would have to change out of the clothing he had worn from the hospital if he didn’t want to look like some sort of lost boy in the too big clothing Evie had provided for him. He rubbed his hands over his face before turning off the tap and drying his hands. Pushing the bathroom door open, he made his way back to his bed, barely glancing at the other two teens as he pulled his duffel onto the bed, digging through it. He frowned as he pulled out a shirt, holding it up to take a sniff. 

“Is that Harry’s shirt?” Gil asked, laying back on the bed to flick the bottom hem of the black and red striped, long sleeved shirt. Carlos nodded, dropping the shirt onto Gil’s face before reaching to pull his off, huffing as he dropped it onto the ground next to his bed. He avoided looking towards Jay at the sharp breath the other boy took, instead picking up the shirt to pull on. Harry’s shirt was still too big on him, but it was familiar in a way the shirt Evie had sent to the hospital for him hadn’t been. 

“It fit’s better.” He mumbled, turning his attention back to his bag to debate changing into his own shorts. 

“I thought the one Evie made you looked nice.” Jay offered from where he had sprawled out on his own bed. Carlos tossed him a look before shoving the duffel to the foot of his bed, deciding that the shorts were fine for the time being. 

“I look nice in anything I wear.” He stated flatly, bitterness creeping into his tone as he continued. “I look even nicer out of clothes, though. At least you dad seemed to think so.” A heavy silence fell over the room, and after a moment Carlos turned to stare at Jay. “So dinner?” Jay gaped at him, pushing himself up from his pillow in a rush as Carlos turned to start towards the door.

“Hey, no, wait. Can we just talk about this please?” Carlos paused as he reached for the handle of the door, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from lashing out at the other boy.

“No, we can’t. You want me to go to dinner? I’m going. Don’t ask me to discuss this right now because I’m trying to give you a chance, Jay, I really am but you aren’t exactly on my list of top ten people at this moment.” Letting his hand drop to the doorknob, he opened the door, stepping out into the hallway as the two older teens scrambled behind him to follow. 

“C, wait up!” Gil fell into step with him quickly, worried look on his face as Jay trailed just behind them, Carlos heading towards the stairs as he shoved his hands into his pockets, a scowl on his face. 

“The only reason I’m here is so we aren’t back there, Gil. Let’s just get through dinner. Alright?” Gil gave a small nod, and the two fell into silence, both thinking about Carlos’ words.

-=-=-

Lumière’s wasn’t very full for dinner time on a weeknight, and as Carlos spotted Ben casually conversing with the namesake of the restaurant as Mal and Evie smiled watching from their seats he couldn’t help but wonder if strings had been pulled for their nearly isolated table. Frowning as they were lead to the table, he took a moment to watch the two VKs sitting with the king. Evie looked as picturesque as always, a carefree smile gracing her lips as she leant to say something to Mal, the shorter girl laughing as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. They looked...right. Like all the years of running and fighting and abuse had been erased, and though Carlos knew there was no way it could be true he still felt a stab of wanting at how serene the two looked. He jumped slightly as a heavy hand landed on his back, and he turned his head to glance at Gil.

“It’s just dinner.” Gil’s voice was low, the hand on Carlos’ back guiding him towards the table as Jay moved ahead of them, stopping to say something to Ben before pulling out the seat next to Mal to sit in. “Think of it like Lady Tremaine’s dinners.” Carlos wrinkled his nose, but allowed Gil to guide him to the table as Ben turned to offer them a wide smile.

“Carlos, Gil. Thank you for joining us for supper.” The king gestured towards the table, moving to pull out the two chairs across from the girls for Carlos and Gil to sit in. “How have the two of you been settling in? You look a bit more rested, Carlos.” Carlos gave a shrug, pulling his chair to the table as Gil settled next to him.

“I took a nap. Thank you for the dinner invitation. Mal, Evie.” He nodded to the two girls, and Evie gave him a soft smile.

“You’re welcome, Carlos. Did you like the outfit I sent with Ben when he picked you up?” She looked hopeful, and Carlos had to look down at the place setting in front of him to avoid her gaze.

“They were a bit too big.” He stated, a bit awkward as he traced around the gold cloth placemat. “But they were nice? Uh. Thank you.” Glancing up, he winced as he noted how pleased she seemed. 

“Oh! I’ll have to get your new measurements, I was going off of the ones I had.” Carlos frowned, and beside him Gil cleared his throat. 

“A lot of things change in six months.” Carlos glanced at the blond, noting the white knuckled grip the older teen had on his menu as he stared at the four other teens seated around the table. Flashing a carefree smile, one practiced on both Jafar and Gaston, Carlos reached to wrap a hand around Gil’s, pulling the menu from him and squeezing his fingers lightly.

“We came here to eat, didn’t we?” His eyes flickered to Ben, catching the kings attention and giving the menu a nod. Ben glanced at the others, noting the sag in Evie’s shoulder and the stony stare Mal had fixed Gil with. 

“Yes! The food here is fantastic, if there’s anything on the menu you’re unsure of just let me know and I’ll explain it.” Carlos nodded, opening the menu to glance through it. His eyes widened slightly as he noted that most of the menu was in French, casting a glance at Gil who seemed surprised as well. 

“This menu’s in French.” Ben looked up, blinking wide eyes at Carlos’ words. Beside Ben, Mal gave a little snicker, covering her mouth as the group looked at her. 

“Well...Yes, of course it is. This restaurant only serves French food.” Carlos and Gaston shared a look, both thinking back on the rants they had often sat through whenever Gaston had fallen into a discussion about food. Two sets of eyes immediately scanned the menu, and Carlos gave a hum as he pointed something out to Gil.

“Man I want the grey stuff again, that stuffs delicious.” Jay stated to the waiter, folding his menu to hand to the man. 

“Could I have the fancy grilled cheese?” Mal asked, handing over her menu as well with a sheepish smile. Evie rolled her eyes, handing in her menu as well.

“The Chicken Alfredo, please. And honestly Mal, you order it every time, you should learn the name.” Mal gave a shrug, and the waiter turned his attention to the three remaining teens.

“I’ll have the boeuf ragout, please. Carlos, Gil? Do you know what you want or need help ordering?” Both boys nodded, pointing to the same spot on the menu as they both stated their order at the same time.

“Hachis Parmentier.” The waiter nodded, taking their menus to go to the kitchen, and Gil grinned at the four teens staring at them.

“My dad always kept telling us that there was only one food worth eating if you were going to have anything besides straight deer steak was Hachis Parmentier.” Gil gave a shrug, and Carlos leant on the table, chin rested on his hands as he watched the surprised looks on the other teens faces.

“Nous parlons francais aussi, tu sais.” Ben gave a snort as Mal frowned, and Gil chuckled as Jay groaned.

“I forgot you speak French, C, fuck.” Carlos couldn’t help but smirk at the slight blush that crossed Jay’s cheeks, leaning forward slightly to raise a brow at the older teen.

“Ton père est un voleur? Parce qu’il a volé les étoiles du ciel pour les mettre dans tes yeux.” Jay gave him a confused look as Ben and Gil burst into laughter, and Carlos coughed as the waiter returned with a tray full of water glasses. 

“What did you say?” Mal asked, and Carlos tilted his head to bat his lashes at her as a glass was placed before him on the table.

“Is your dad a thief? Because he stole the stars from the sky to put them in your eyes.” Jay paled slightly at the curt way Carlos said the line, and the table fell into an awkward silence for a moment before Ben cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“So uh...how about those Knights, huh?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is also a little shorter than usual but I didn’t want too many action scenes in one go....the next chapter will be longer I promise!

Dinner had gone as well as Carlos could have expected- nearly two hours of awkward conversation layered with strained apologies had set Carlos on edge for the rest of the meal, and the youngest of the group had fallen into an anxious silence right up to his return to their room. He had pushed his way past Jay and Gil as soon as the ex thief had opened their door, making his way to his bed to open his duffel bag and pull out his notebook and flashlight before going to the closet, pulling the door open to peer inside. The space inside not taken up by Jay’s sports equipment was just large enough for him to squeeze into, and he’d be able to tuck himself back behind the hanging clothes easily enough.

“I need to be alone.” He stated, slipping into the space and pulling the door closed firmly behind him before either of the older teens could react, unwilling to look at them as he pushed himself back into the furthest corner possible. He could hear the muffled conversation through the door, half whispers about privacy and rights and other things that he blocked out after several moments, unwilling to listen to the two older teens argue. Flicking on the flashlight he tucked it into a pile of blankets, adjusting it to shine in his lap as he opened the book, popping the pen free of the coil binding and flipping to the last page he had been working on. Schematics were sketched out across the paper, diagrams of robotics he had dreamt up on the Isle looking more realistic now that he potentially had access to good, proper material. He had spent hours curled up in his treehouse, or on the Revenge, or some days even curled against Jafar’s pillow drawing up plans, the soft noise of his pen against the paper enough to distract him from the hell that was his life. He had hoped that leaving the Isle would fix his need for a hiding spot, for a quick getaway through his notebook, but here he was on the border of a panic attack, hiding in an enclosed space and trying not to hyperventilate at the thought of leaving.

He turned to a new page in his book, frowning as he wrote ‘Mal’ across the top of the page. Drawing a line vertically down the middle of the page, he bit his lip as he wrote ‘protected me before she left the Isle’ on the left side. On the right side he scribbled ‘left me alone on Isle for six months’ as well as ‘almost hit me.’ He licked his lips as he added ‘use to help me with chores’ and ‘got me parts often’ to the left, before ‘came back to Isle-not for me’ joined the list to the right. ‘Wants to make it up to me’ was added to the left, and after a moment he scribbled the words ‘Verdict: Undecided’ across the bottom of the page. He did the same for both Evie and Jay, adding things specific to each with the same verdict scrawled across the bottoms of the page, and sighed as he rested his pen against the page. As much as he had missed the others, he couldn’t help but be frustrated at them for just wanting to pretend that things could ever return to how they had been before the others had left. He was mad that it had taken as long as it had to get him out of his mother’s reach, and while he knew he should place some of the blame on Ben for not having sent for him as well, he knew that logically the king had no way of knowing about his situation when he had summoned the others to Auradon. A large portion of the Isle hadn’t even been aware of his existence before he had been placed in Mal and Jay’s weird science class three years previous, so he couldn’t fault the king in not noticing a child whose mother had never sent a notice of birth out over the Isle. He could, though, be angry that the king had ripped his family from him with one fancily embossed letter. He could be upset that the older teen had played the part of a sympathetic ear while he had been dating -and of course Carlos had figured it out, from the intimate-but-casual touches and ridiculous grins at each other when they thought no one was watching- three of the four people Carlos cared about most in the world. It felt worse than a betrayal; it felt as though the others had replaced him with someone infinitely superior, and it hurt like nothing his mother could have possibly thought to do to him.

“Carlos? Are you in there?” Evie’s voice was muffled through the door, and Carlos frowned as he pressed his back flush to the wall behind him. 

“C, we know you’re in there. Jay said you went in there as soon as you guys got back.” Mal sounded slightly annoyed, and Carlos closed his notebook to pull his knees to his chest, reaching to turn off the flashlight before clasping it to his chest. 

“Go away.” There was a moment of silence outside of the door before it was pulled open, and Carlos barely had time to throw an arm up as Mal reached in, grasping his arm to pull him out of the closet.

“You can’t just hide in the closet, Carlos. If there’s a problem you need to talk to us about it.” Carlos tensed as he was pulled to stand between the two girls, his mind flashing back to his mother’s hand wrapped around his upper arm dragging him from whatever hiding place he’d managed to find, pulling him out only to hit him. His breath caught in his throat as both Evie and Mal stared at him, and he twisted his arm to shove Mal away from him, hard.

“Evils sake, Carlos, what the hell?” Mal’s startled cry pulled him back to the present, drawing his attention to the girl as she rubbed her shoulder, Evie standing with her hand on Mal’s back as she stared at Carlos in confusion.

“Don’t...don’t touch me.” Mal opened her mouth to respond and he backed away from her, wrapping an arm around his stomach. “I said go away, why doesn’t anyone fucking listen to me when I say go away?” He could feel the tightness in his chest that signified the beginning of a panic attack; the way his breaths caught before he could fully draw them in, the way his skin buzzed with anticipation for the next blow, it sent him straight back to the Isle. “I need-I just-“ he was going to start hyperventilating, and wild eyes looked around the room before focusing on the girls. Mal had begun to reach out for him again, and he took a step back, hitting the wall. He was trapped, and being trapped meant getting hurt, getting touched and groped and he didn’t want that to be his life anymore, had come to Auradon to esca-

“Carlos, stop! You’re hurting Mal!” Carlos’ eyes widened as he came back to himself, one hand holding Mal’s arm behind her back as he pinned her to the wall, breathing hard. He immediately released her, stepping away with wide eyes as he attempted to calm himself. 

“I just wanted to be alone.” Evie moved to Mal’s side, checking her over as the fae girl rolled her shoulder with a frown. “No one ever-Why won’t any of you listen to me, you never listen to me, even on the Isle no one listened to me.” He glanced frantically around the room, noting that the girls had managed to efficiently block him in by standing directly in his way to the door. While he could shove past them, he didn’t actively want to harm them- not to mention Mal’s magic worked in Auradon, a thought that terrified him. Darting to his left, he made a beeline to the window between his and Gil’s beds, shoving it open to pull himself up onto the sill instead.

“Carlos, what are you doing? You’re going to get hurt!” Mal’s voice was distraught, and Carlos peered out the window at the slanted rooftop extending away from the window with a small frown, quickly calculating the angle he had to walk on to keep from falling. Scrambling out the window to twin yells of shock, he drew a sharp breath as he slid a little before his foot caught on a shingle, giving him a chance to find his footing before he began to trek along the edge of the roof near the gutter where the slope wasn’t quite as steep. 

“Carlos! Come back inside, you’re going to fall!” Evie’s cry was almost enough to cause him to glance back, and he teetered slightly before re-adjusting himself, moving swiftly towards the opposite end of the roof. He noticed a few larger trees towards the far corner of the building, tall enough to reach from the roof, and started towards them, unwilling to return to the room with the two girls. He passed several windows, darting past them in an attempt to avoid the gaze of the student’s’ inside, and as he approached the tree closest he gave a small sigh of relief as he realized one of the branches extended directly above the edge of the roof. Hoisting himself up into the tree, he slowly made his way down, leaping between some of the more spaced out branches with an agility born from racing along roofs and escaping the confining halls of his mother’s manor. He dropped gracefully from the lowest of the branches, startling a girl with dark hair in a blue dress, before darting off away from the building, hoping that Mal and Evie were still occupied with the window he’d escaped from. Darting past a group of students, he ducked under a railing to jump down the side of a small stairwell, using the wall for balance as he landed at the foot of the stairs. Taking a moment to glance around, he spotted a wide field that seemed to be sectioned off, probably for some sort of sport like Tourney, that lead to a wooded area. He took off towards the woods, his feet carrying him past the bleachers and over the well manicured astroturf, past the small group of girls in uniform who seemed to be practicing some sort of acrobats. Turning onto the tree lined path, he headed into the woods, allowing himself to slow some to avoid tripping over a tree root or rock. It took several minutes for him to feel safe enough to slow to a stop, leaning against a tree and taking a few deep inhales in an attempt to catch his breath. 

He probably shouldn’t have run like that. 

He knew that he shouldn’t have, but Mal had startled him by dragging him out of his comfort zone of the closet. Had scared him, frankly, when she had grabbed him and pulled. He had asked her not to touch him and yet she had still reached for him, hadn’t listened and he had attacked her without even thinking…so he had run, slipped out of their grasps in a manner that had served him well many times with his mother or even Gaston. He didn’t regret running away; didn’t feel bad for the distraught look both girls had given him as he ducked out of the room away from them. He couldn’t bring himself to- they had left him, abandoned him to the mercy of his mother and the Isle, and even if they hadn’t meant to, he couldn’t quite bring himself to forgive them. There had been no attempt at contact him; he had checked with every goblin working the docks, with Jafar, Grimhilde and Maleficent, even. None of the others had even tried to reach out to him since leaving the Isle, and it had hurt. 

Finally catching his breath fully, he stood properly and surveyed the area he had stopped in. Tall, leafy trees towered around him, the dirt path he had followed clearly defined in the underlying flora as though the grass had been deliberately planted to make the path. He wandered a bit further into the woods, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked, and after a few moments a sound met his ear. Pausing, he frowned as he tried to pinpoint where the rustling sound he heard was coming from, and as a sharp, loud bark sounded from behind him, he stilled. His eyes widened as he tried to determine where the bark had originated from, his head frantically swinging back and forth as he searched for the animal the sound had come from. Part of him cursed the fact that he had left the relative safety of his dorm room, his mind flashing back to every horror story he’d been told, every interaction he’d ever had with Hades dog Cerberus or any of the strays roaming the Isle. 

Somewhere around him was a dog, and he was terrified.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: there’s a sex scene at the end of the chapter, not super explicit but it’s there. If you don’t want to see it, stop reading when the boys get to the dorm room!

“Carlos went out the window.”

Both Jay and Gil looked up from the table they sat at, identical frowns written across their faces as Mal and Evie burst into the mostly empty cafeteria. Gil leant back in his seat as the girls reached their table, taking in the anxious concern on Evie’s face before turning to face Mal, guilt clear in her expression. His frown deepened into a scowl as he pushed himself up from the table, towering over the purple haired girl menacingly. 

“What did you do?” Mal’s eyes widened as she took a step away from the blond, glancing at Evie before Gil snapped his fingers in her face, irritation clear. “What did you do to Carlos, Mal? He was fine when we left him, you said you just wanted to talk to him.” Jay frowned, moving to stand and putting a hand on Gil’s shoulder to pull him away from Mal.

“He was hiding in the closet when we left, Gil. I don’t think that could be considered fine.” Gil shot a heated glare at the other boy, and Jay dropped his hand before moving to step between Gil and the girls.

“I only pulled him out of the closet, that’s all! We couldn’t have a conversation through the door, Gil.” Mal’s words were spoken in a huff, and Gil paled slightly as she placed her hands on her hips.

“You didn't like...physically pull him out of the closet, did you?” Mal’s brows furrowed, and Gil ran a hand over his face, frustrated. “Did you or did you not physically remove Carlos from the closet?” Mal nodded, opening her mouth to say something, and Gil glared as he cut her off. “Did he say not to touch him? Did he tell you to leave him alone?”

“He told us to go away.” Evie stated, voice small as she stared hard at a spot on the table. “He told Mal not to touch him when she pulled him out of the closet, and he pinned her to the wall when she reached for him but...I don’t understand, he always just wanted to be around us back on the Isle.” Gil made a noise of frustration, turning in a circle before raising his arms up, his hands tangling in his hair.

“That was six months ago. You can’t just grab him, or pull him places. Cruella use to pull him out of his hiding places and put a choke chain on him whenever he tried to hide from her the first few months you were gone, what do you think he’s going to think about when you do it? My dad-“ he spat the words bitterly, then glanced at Jay, “- my dad and your dad use to force him, and he. You could hear him the first few times, screaming no until his throat was raw, asking them not to, and no one stopped it. I couldn’t stop it.” He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths through his nose in an attempt to keep calm at the memory of the first night his father had gotten Carlos. “But I can stop it here. When Carlos says no, you stop whatever it is you’re doing to make him say no.” He opened his eyes, fixing the trio with a heavy look. “You don’t keep touching him. You don’t corner him. You don’t grab him, like...I’m surprised he didn’t stab you, he stabbed Harry the first time he grabbed him.” Rubbing his face, he gave a sad little groan. “He’s not the same kid you left on the Isle, okay? You can’t just treat him like you use to and expect things to get better. Because it won’t.” The group fell silent for a minute, awkward and guilty, before Gil gave a little huff, turning away from the group. “Look, I don't care why you guys didn’t send for him when you said you would, or why you seem to think no means sure, go ahead and continue touching me. What’s important right now is he ran off and I’m going to go find him.”

“Who made you the authority on how we interact with Carlos?” Mal hissed, reaching to prevent Gil from leaving the library as Evie narrowed her eyes. “We’ve been friends with him a hell of a lot longer than you have, what gives you the right to tell us anything about how we behave with him?” Gil’s expression darkened, and he moved to stand over Mal, not quite pressed to her front.

“I’m the guy who spent the past six months trying to fix the mess you three made leaving him behind. I’m the one who had to convince my dad that forcing him to stay tied to the bed until my dad was happy with how he preformed sexually was a bad idea. I’m the one who checked on him when your dad-“ he shot Jay a look, “-kept him locked inside for entire weekends. I, me, just me, am the one who found him after his mother tried to drown him in the stupid fucking bathtub in the backyard she use to force him to wash in. That’s what gives me the right.” He practically snarled at the girl before turning to storm off, leaving the three teens to stare wide eyed at the door as it swung shut behind him, his anger still hanging heavy in the air.

-=-=-

He could hear the creature somewhere below him, barking at the base of the tree he had scaled as soon as a small bundle of fur had come bounding through the trees towards him. He had tried yelling at it, shaking the branches in an attempt to scare the beast away with little success. He clung to the branch he sat on, keeping a watchful eye on the dog under him as he tried to calculate the safest route of escape. His mother’s stories of the things dog could do to a human body sat heavy with him, tales of sharp teeth rending flesh from bone, of large paws pinning little boys down to eat them or mount them depending on the creatures mood. Logically he knew that odds were high that his mother had lied to him at least in part, but the few interactions he’d had with the dogs running loose on the Isle had ended in scars and trauma, in Cerberus’ large body pinning him to the floor as his snarling maws snapped at him, his mother’s deep laugh penetrating the haze of fear that had frozen him in place as the adults gathered in his parlour had watched and bet on his survival. It didn’t matter that the dog below him was barely bigger than a cat- it still had fangs, could still attack him.

“Go away!” He shouted, eyes never leaving the animal as he shifted closer to the trunk of the tree. He could feel the tightness in his chest that heralded a panic attack; the second in less than an hour, clawing at his constraint and making him want to curl up and cry or scream or just let the dog kill him and end his misery. The dog started to bark again, jumping in an attempt to get at him, and he scrambled to pull himself up another branch, hands shaking as he tried not to look down. His foot slipped as he tried to pull himself upwards, losing his grip on the branch and slipping back some before grabbing at the branch he had been sitting on previous, clinging to it and kicking his feet in an attempt to keep the animal away.

“No no nononono.” He whimpered as the dogs next jump nearly hit his foot, his breathing coming in large gasps as he struggled to keep from hyperventilating. He should have stay at the school, should have run to the cafeteria or the library, should have gone anywhere but outside where there was even the remote possibility of dogs. He was going to die, alone in the woods, ripped to pieces by a dog just big enough to be turned into a pair of earmuffs. Gil would be all alone, with Harry and Uma in the middle of the ocean- the thought made him panic more, and he squeezed his eyes shut tight, mind racing as he tried to calm himself. “Hydrogen, lithium, beryllium….beryllium….”

“Carlos?” His eyes shot open as a voice called out his name, his gaze falling on the two teens standing under him. Gil looked concerned, his arms outstretched under Carlos as though to catch the smaller teen. Beside him, Ben stood holding onto the dog, a frown on his face as he looked up at him. 

“Get rid of it.” Carlos’ voice was small as he glanced between the two older teens, his eyes settling on the dog struggling in the kings arms.

“The dog?” Ben asked, confusion audible as he glanced from Carlos to the dog. Gil turned to Ben, gesturing for him to take the dog away frantically as Carlos let out another whimper.

“He’s terrified of dogs, Ben.” Ben’s eyes widened, and his grip on the dog tightened. “Take the dog away please.” Ben nodded, turning quickly to take the dog back towards the school. Gil turned back to Carlos, extending his arms again towards the smaller teen. “Ben’s taking the dog away, C. It’s okay, you’re ok, I promise. Drop and I’ll catch you.” It took a moment for Carlos to let go of the branch, dropping into Gil’s arms and trusting the blond to catch him.

“It came out of nowhere.” He murmured, pressing his face into Gil’s shoulder as the larger teen shifted his arms, turning to head back to the dorms.

“What were you even doing in the woods, Carlos?” Gil’s tone was soft, careful not to throw Carlos back into another panic attack with the question. Carlos made a noise against Gil's shoulder, tightening the arm he had wrapped around Gil’s neck fractionally.

“Ran away from the dorms. Mal grabbed me, I just...ran.” Gil made a sound almost like a growl, and Carlos gave his chest a pat. “I’m okay. I’m okay, Gil. She didn’t hurt me but I might have hurt her? I think I lashed out when she wouldn’t leave me alone...I hope Ben doesn’t send us back because of it.” He fell silent as they exited the woods, fingers curled into the fabric of Gil’s shirt as they started across the field.

“I already told her off for grabbing you. She shouldn’t have touched you. Jay’s gone to the girl’s so it’ll just be you and me in the room okay?” Carlos tapped his shoulder as they reached the bleachers and Gil paused. 

“Let me down, I can walk.” Gil let him down, eyes widening some as Carlos hesitated a moment before slipping his hand into Gil’s, squeezing his fingers some. “Thank you for coming to my rescue, Gil. I’m really glad you decided to stay here in Auradon with me instead of going to the Academy with the others.” Gil shot him an almost shy smile, and Carlos grinned at him. They walked in silence, their joined hands swinging between them as Carlos let himself calm down some. “I’m a little embarrassed that you guys found me up a tree. Did the two of you come looking for me together?” Gil shook his head, frowning slightly as they entered the main courtyard of the school. Several students took up the benches scattered throughout, several staring as they walked past.

“No. I knew you’d probably take off towards the woods if you were startled enough to jump out the window, so that’s where I decided to start. I guess Ben was looking for the school’s mascot, that dog? He goes into the woods a lot I guess.” Carlos gave a small shudder at the mention of the dog, and Gil squeezed his hand. “Now that we know about him we can avoid him, yeah?” Carlos nodded as Gil pushed open the door leading into the back entryway of the school, allowing the older teen to guide him up the stairs to the area of the building that housed the dorms. As they reached their dorm room, Carlos gave a small smile at the way Gil entered the room first to see if anyone was waiting for them before waving him in, immediately closing the door behind them before leading Carlos to the middle bed, sitting down and giving his hand a tug. Carlos moved to stand between Gil’s legs, letting go of his hand to cup his face and tilt it upward, pressing a firm kiss to the older teens lips. Gil leant into the kiss before pulling away with a small frown. Carlos smiled as he pressed closer to him, letting his hands slide down to rest on either side of Gil’s neck as he pressed a line of kisses along his jaw.

“I’m doing this because I want to, Gil. If you don’t want me to, just say no okay?” Gil nodded, eyes wide was Carlos beamed before pushing him to slide back some, crawling onto the bed between his legs and leaning to kiss him again as one hand slid down his chest to stroke across his stomach, dipping just under the other boy’s waistband teasingly. Gil gave a groan, shifting up on his elbows as Carlos broke the kiss to watch the younger teen slide down his body, fingers skilled in detailed repairs deftly undoing his pants to tug them down enough to expose the blonds half hard cock. Carlos took a moment to glance up at Gil, grinning at the dazed look the older teen had before shifting to take him into his mouth, one hand gripping Gil’s hip to keep him in place as he gave a small hum. Gil groaned, letting his head fall back as Carlos began to carefully bob his head, his thumb kneading into the hollow of the older teens hip as he focused on pleasing him. Gil’s fingers curled into the fabric of the comforter under them to keep from reaching out to grasp Carlos by the hair, moaning lowly as Carlos curled his tongue skillfully around his shaft as the hand not holding Gil still wrapped around the base, moving in time with each bob. 

“Ngggh, Carlos, shit.” The blond hissed, hips bucking slightly against Carlos’ grip as the younger teen gave a half hum, half chuckle. “M’not gunna last long if you keep that up.” Carlos slowed his rhythm some, squeezing his hand slightly as he pulled back slightly, lips teasing over soft flesh as he gave Gil a moment to settle. Both tensed as behind Carlos the door swung open, and Carlos shifted quickly to cover Gil’s body with his own, cheeks flushed red.

“Hey guys the girls wanted t-oh, shit.“


	6. Chapter 6

Jay spun on his heel, turning to close the door as he covered his eyes, cheeks flushing brilliantly as he made a distressed noise. “What the hell, guys, seriously?” Carlos duck his head in embarrassment, shifting as he tugged Gil’s pants back up with an apologetic look to the blond. Gil groaned, sitting up properly before guiding Carlos to sit in the vee of his legs, noting with a small frown the nervous way the younger teen stared at Jay as though expecting punishment. Jay dropped his hand once he was sure Gil was properly dressed again, his cheeks still red as he refused to meet either’s eyes.

“You said you were spending the night in the girls room. How were we suppose to know that meant coming back to the dorm at any possible time?” Gil pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest, and Jay shot him a frustrated look before his gaze slid to Carlos who had sank down to kneel facing the bed, stock still, back ramrod straight and silent with his hands folded neatly in his lap. A familiar pose that struck a chord deep in Jay as he took a step towards the younger teen, recognizing his father's handy work almost immediately.

“Carlos?” He ignored Gil’s question as he slowly approached Carlos, frowning as the smaller teen flinched at his name. “You didn’t do anything wrong, C. I was just surprised. Maybe a little...uh. It’s okay. Seriously.” Carlos shifted slightly and Jay stilled, stunned by the blank stare that greeted him, long fingers curling into fists as Jay struggled not to reach out towards him. Gil moved to slowly sink down beside Carlos, letting out a curse as he took in the blank stare.

“Hey, come on back to us Carlos. Jafar’s not here, your mom’s not gunna punish you for not finishing. I’m not gunna punish you either. You’re okay.” There was a moment of silence before Carlos took a shuddering breath and nodded firmly, blinking several times.

“I’m sorry, C.” Jay’s apology was heartfelt, and the smaller teen glanced up at him with a tilt of his head.

“It’s okay. I was just…startled. Is...you were saying something when you came in?” Jay froze before nodding, running a hand through his hair as he flashed the two an awkward smile. 

“Yeah. The, uh, the girls feel really bad about what happened earlier. I sat them down and talked to them about how it’s not cool of Mal to have done that, and how we…we don’t have the right to treat you like we’re friends right now, because we hurt you and it’s your choice when and if you let us back in. Evie wants to know if you want to sit with her in some of your classes that you share tomorrow, but she’ll understand if you aren’t okay with that yet. And Mal feels really, really shitty dude. She says she’ll let you decide when you guys can talk again and that she’s really sorry.” Carlos gave a slow nod, thinking over Jay’s words carefully. Evie hadn’t grabbed him, which made her cornering him slightly more forgivable; he could probably agree to sitting with her in a class or two as long as she couldn’t trap him easily. Mal, he wanted to keep as far from as possible for the time being- he didn’t appreciate being grabbed, didn’t like that she hadn’t even tried to talk to him through the door first. Jay had no offenses past leaving him on the Isle, and seemed willing to be nice to Gil; he would at least get no more cold shoulders since he seemed capable of realizing he’d done wrong.

“I’ll sit with Evie.” He stated, shifting where he sat at the tingle of numbness beginning to creep up his left foot from the way he was sitting. “In at least one class. Mal…” he frowned some, bringing his knees to his chest to rest his chin on, looking up at Jay thoughtfully. “I don’t really want her anywhere near me right now, after earlier.” Jay frowned slightly, but nodded as Gil reached to offer the younger teen a hand up. Carlos took it, lacing their fingers together before pulling himself up from the floor.

“So are you guys...together?” Jay asked, watching them as Carlos dropped onto the bed beside the blond, their hands still entwined as the two exchanged a look.

“I’m here for Carlos. If he wants to date people, he will. We have an arrangement.” Gil stated, firmly. Carlos nodded, giving Gil a fond look before turning his attention to Jay. 

“You remember arrangements, don’t you?” He tilted his head, quirking a brow as Jay’s cheeks flushed slightly. 

“Of course I do. But we don’t need arrangements here, guys. You can date, if...that’s what you want to do. No one will punish you for it like back on the Isle.” Carlos hummed, taking Jay’s words at value as Gil nodded beside him.

“Yes, well I suppose you’d be an expert on dating, what with your two girlfriends and his royal highness.” Jay gaped at Carlos’ comment, and the younger teen snorted as he shifted to lay back on the mattress. “Jay. Come on, I know you, Evie and Mal better than almost anyone, did you really think I’d miss it? I’m a little insulted.” He raised his arms up, letting out a sigh before letting his arms drop, one to his chest and the other across his eyes. “You’re clearly happier here than you ever were on the Isle.” The ‘than you were with me’ hung silently between them, heavy and painful as Jay took a hesitant step towards the bed, the look on his face near heartbreak at the brokenness in the younger teens tone.

“Carlos…” Carlos shook his head, pushing himself up after a moment, flashing a wide, forced grin. 

“So there’s a t.v in here!” Jay paused at Carlos’ outburst, glancing at the television in confusion as Carlos got up from the bed to make his way to the small entertainment area of the room, ignoring the look Jay and Gil exchanged.

“Yeah? We have pretty much every channel known to man, plus Netpixi, this movie thing that has any movie you could every want on it…” Jay’s tone was perplexed as he followed Carlos, tossing Gil a confused look over his shoulder. The blond shrugged, equally confused by the sudden topic change, and moved to follow the other two teens.

“We should watch a movie.” Carlos stated firmly, going to the television to look it over. “I haven’t been able to watch a movie without having to try to piece together film, I want to see what a full movie looks like.” Jay gave a small shrug, moving past Carlos to get a movie set up while Gil and Carlos made themselves comfortable on the couch, Gil at the far left while Carlos took the middle, settling in comfortably as Jay tossed him a controller, moving to turn the lights down some before joining the two boys on the couch. 

“There’s a really good sci-fi movie I think you’d like, C. As soon as I say it I thought of you. It should be in the recently viewed, s’called Serenity.” Carlos nodded, pulling up the movie to read the synopsis before giving a hum of contentment, pressing play as they settled in to watch.

-=-=-

Jay awoke with a start, the sensation of a warm body pressing against his back pulling him from his dreamless sleep. He blinked, confused, and half rolled to look at who had invaded his bed, less surprised than he should have been to find Carlos curled up beside him. He shifted to lay on his back, staring at the shadows cast across the ceiling as he felt Carlos shift closer, pressing along his side and murmuring against his shoulder. He frowned, unable to make out the words for a moment before tilting his head to a better angle to hear the younger teen.

“I’ll be good, my Sultan.” Jay stilled at the words, eyes widening as Carlos curled his hands into the fabric of his sleep shirt, tugging slightly. “Please let me wear the shirt tonight.” Frowning, Jay slowly rolled to face the smaller body, taking in the worried look on the teens still slumbering face.

“What shirt, Carlos?” He asked, unsure if the boy was just dreaming or, as he suspected, sleepwalking. Carlos whined, shifting his weight fully against Jay’s front with a practiced ease that made Jay bite back a small moan at the contact between them.

“The cobra shirt, my Sultan. The one from Jay’s things.” His stomach clenched at the mention of his belongings, knowing fully which shirt Carlos meant, recalling nights where Cruella had practically ruined the young boy, nights Jay couldn’t stay with him and the only comfort he could take was in Jay’s shirt wrapped around him like armour. He shifted some, allowing Carlos to curl closer as he thought over Carlos’ statement. From the sounds of it, the younger teen had frequently had been in bed with Jafar during the six months they’d been apart; Jay hadn’t considered that his father might have used items that were his to reward Carlos for being good. Mal had confided to both Evie and himself that Carlos had been wearing one of Jay’s shirts when she’d first gotten back to the Isle, and Jay couldn’t help but wonder exactly how many of his item’s he’d find in Carlos’ duffel bag if he went through it. “I miss him so much. I’ll be good, I’ll be so good, please…” The sudden sharp pain in his chest hurt worse than any knife wound he’d gotten on the Isle, and Jay curled around the smaller body, holding him close as he made soothing noises.

“He’s right here, Carlos. I’m right here, I’m here.” He pressed his face against the top of Carlos’ head, burying his nose in the younger teens hair as he pulled him close. He had been so focused while they were in Auradon on doing good and missing Carlos that he hadn’t thought about how much it must have hurt the other boy to be away from them, how alone and scared the teen must have been. “I’m so sorry. Fuck, I’m so, so sorry, C. I’m sorry.” His apologies fell into soft murmurs as Carlos’ hands curled into the back of Jay’s shirt, the younger teen making a sound of confusion after a moment. 

“Gil?” Carlos’ voice was almost a whisper, his face pressed to Jays chest, and Jay took a deep breath as he realized Carlos must be awake.

“No, it’s Jay.” The body against his went rigid, and Jay immediately released his hold on him, letting the teen move away if he chose to. Carlos shifted to put some space between them, though not as much as Jay had anticipated.

“Oh.” The word was breathed out in a huff of warm air against Jay’s cheek, Carlos frowning slightly as he glanced over to his own bed. “What am I doing in your bed?” Jay cleared his throat, his gaze travelling over Carlos’ face a moment before speaking.

‘I don’t know. I woke up with you in my bed, talking like I...uh.” He hesitated a moment, clearing his throat again. “Like I was my dad.” The look Carlos fixed him with was a mixture of exhaustion and humiliation, and Jay shifted a fraction closer, not wanting to startle the other teen. “You were...Hey, we don’t have to talk about it, dude. Not if you don’t want to.” Silence fell between them, before a tentative hand reached out to grasp the fabric just over Jay’s heart.

“Can I stay here right now?” Carlos whispered, eyes closed as he shifted slightly closer to Jay. “I don’t wanna talk about it but I...you...I waited six months, missing this. Please?” Carlos’ question ended in a slight whine, and Jay held up his arm in open invitation, unwilling to jinx the fact that Carlos wanted to lay with him.

“Of course you can, dude. For as long as you want. Your choice.” Carlos nodded, the smallest movement of his head before shifting forward to curl against Jay’s chest again, allowing the older teen to wrap his arms around him and pull him flush to his chest. They lay in silence, Jay’s fingers tracing circles over Carlos back as the younger teens breathing evened out some. When Carlos began speaking, it startled Jay slightly, but he remained silent as the other teen spoke, his words barely loud enough to hear in the dark.

“I missed you the most. I missed Mal and Evie but I missed you the most. I missed the way you’d smile when I did something dumb and how you’d make sure no one came at me in school. Why’d you leave me there, Jay? Why’d you leave me with her?” His fingers curled tighter, his voice hitching slightly as he continued to speak. “Why’d you let her do that to me, do any of that to me?” The words were cut off by a sob, and Jay gathered him closer, hands trying to sooth along his back, to rub away the pain in the other boy’s voice. “I’m a good boy. They kept saying I’m a good boy, I did what they wanted, but no one ever stopped. I just wanted everyone to stop.” He buried his face in Jay’s chest, giving a shudder. “Where were you?” Jay squeezed his eyes shut, taking a shaking breath at Carlos’ words. There was no proper way to apologize for what had happened, to minimize the damage done in the six months they’d been gone. No words to sooth the pain and suffering the younger teen had endured, to take away 180 days worth of misery. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m...I hate myself, I was an idiot and if you never forgive me I’ll understand but god, C, I’m so so sorry. I’m here now. It’s not enough, I’m not enough to fix this but I need to try. Please let me try.” Carlos hiccuped, giving a small nod as his fingers clenched against Jay’s chest, and Jay pressed his cheek to Carlos’ hair as he felt the other teen begin to relax, his sniffling slowing to a deep, steady breathing as exhaustion took over and the younger teen slipped into slumber. Jay shifted them, pulling his blanket up over them the best he could before pressing his lips to Carlos’ forehead, taking a deep breath before closing his eyes to let himself be lulled to sleep by Carlos’ breathing.

“I’m gunna make things right, Carlos. I swear.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Brittney Spears’ Whoops I Did It Again plays muffled in the distance*

Carlos was too warm, something wrapped around his waist holding him flush to a wall of firm heat. Giving a small groan he shifted, wrinkling his nose as the thing around his waist tightened slightly at his movement. Opening his eyes, it took a moment for him to realize where he was, and he pushed himself up on his elbows as he frowned in confusion before letting out a soft huff at the sight that greeted him.

“This definitely isn’t where I fell asleep last night.” He stated, reaching to shake the shoulder his face had been pressed into. “Hey. Wake up.” There was a groan, and the arm around his waist tightened more, dragging him flush to the body next to him once more. “This is not-“ he gave one muscular arm a sharp prod, “-where I went to sleep.” A face pressed into his neck and he gave a disgruntled grunt, pushing the older teen away. 

“You were in his bed. I brought you to mine.” Carlos rolled his eyes, shifting to sit-up properly as he stretched his arms above his head and glanced around. The room was still fairly dark-though due to the hour or the heavy curtains pulled over the windows, Carlos didn’t know. On the bed next to them, Jay slept in a nest of blankets, one arm flung carelessly over his eyes as he snorted quietly. 

“You brought me to yours.” His voice was flat, and Gil sat up, suddenly alert. “Without waking me up or asking.” Silence fell over them, and from his bed Jay gave a snort, rolling onto his side. 

“I’m sorry, C. I didn’t even think...I shouldn’t have done that.” Carlos gave a curt nod, rubbing his arm as he glanced towards the clock on Jay’s desk. The numbers read 5:54am, and he made a face at the early hour. 

“I’m going to take a shower I think.” Gil gave a small nod, a worried look on his face as Carlos slipped off the bed to move towards where he had placed his duffel bag on the floor. “You can probably catch another half an hour or so of sleep while I’m getting ready, Gil.” Gil gave a small shrug, leaning back against the headboard as he watched Carlos rifle through his bag.

“Are you mad at me?” The blonde asked, tilting his head slightly as Carlos pulled some clean shorts and a red, black and white patchwork shirt from the bag. Carlos frowned, turning to study Gil a moment before sighing. 

“I’m not mad at you Gil. I’d just prefer that I don’t get manhandled in my sleep. You know how much I hated it when your dad would do it.” Gil nodded, ducking his head in shame as Carlos moved to walk past his bed, pausing to place a hand on Gil’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. “I’m not mad, Gil. I promise.” Gil nodded, and Carlos gestured towards the head of the bed with a smile. “Try to get some more sleep, dude. I’ll wake you up when I get out of the shower.” Gil nodded, laying back down, and Carlos slipped into the bathroom, turning on the light and blinking in the sudden brightness. The room was large enough to host a toilet, sink, counter, bathtub and separate shower while still managing to be somewhat compact. There was one small linen closet tucked to the far left corner, along with a small window between the toilet and the bathtub that looked just big enough for him to squeeze through should he need a quick escape. 

“This is...nice.” He murmured to himself, placing his clothes onto the counter before stripping down, folding his dirty clothing to place on the counter as well. He leant over the counter to peer at himself in the mirror, squinting as he let his gaze travel over the image of his own face. He reached to poke his cheeks, pinching the skin along his jaw before tracing his index finger along the line of freckles crossing his left cheek, the line broken by a thin white scar just under his eye. His fingers moved to another scar, just barely visible above his lip, tracing the line of it before moving his fingers to peel back the tape holding the bandage in place around his neck. He dropped the bandage into the garbage, turning his attention back to his neck. Tilting his head up and bracing himself on the counter with one hand as he leant forward he brushed his fingers over the dark mottled bruises circling his throat, pressing against the scabs that had begun to grow over the cuts. It looked...awful. He frowned, following the line of the bruise carefully, before pressing his nails into one of the cuts. He watched as beads of blood welled up before dragging his fingers downward, smearing the blood down his throat as his frown deepened.

“Stop that.” He muttered to himself, pressing his fingers against the bleeding spot as he realized what he was doing. “God, what’s wrong with you.” He shook his head, pressing both hands to the counter and taking a deep breath before turning to go to the shower, turning the knob to turn the water on before slipping into the tub. He inspected the knob, realizing that the hot water seemed to actually work and turning it up with a pleased sigh. There was a heavy knock on the door, which creaked open slightly as Carlos peeked nervously out from behind the curtain.

“Hey, Uh...I really have to piss, Carlos. Is it okay if I….I won’t flush I swear.” Carlos’ brow furrowed some as Jay poked his head into the room, and he gave a nod before ducking back into the shower. “Thanks C. I never would have made it to Ben’s dorm.” Carlos hummed, picking up a bar of soap to carefully inspect before beginning to wash his body.

“It’s fine. This is still more privacy than I had on the Isle.” The water drowned out most of the sounds from the other side of the curtain, and Carlos ignored the feeling in his stomach at Jay being so close while he was showering.

“Did you want me to show you guys where your classes are today?” Carlos paused momentarily at the question, thinking it over as he washed his hair, marvelling at how hot the water remained even as he stood under it for minutes at a time. 

“Ben’s taking us to our classes today.” He stated as he rinsed out his hair, letting his head fall back and wincing slightly at the sting of the hot water against the open cut on his neck. He let the water wash over him, breathing slowly through his nose. “If you want to walk with us, I won’t argue.” Reaching to turn off the tap, he gave himself a shake to get some of the water off of him before stepping out of the shower. 

“Whoa, hey I’m almost done dude wait a sec.” Jay’s shifted in embarrassment, and Carlos snorted as he brushed past the older teen, giving him a nudge as he opened the bathroom door. 

“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before, Jay.” Exiting into the room, he made his way to his bed, rooting through his duffel bag as the toilet flushed in the bathroom behind him. “Hey, can you bring out my clothes and a towel?” His request was met with a grunt, and he glanced towards the door as Jay came out, the requested items in hand as he tried to avoid looking at the younger teen. “Did someone get shy living in Auradon?” Carlos teased, almost cruelly as he reached to take the towel, patting himself dry and pulling on his boxers. “You never cared about my being naked around you before.” Jay groaned, moving to lay down on his bed to mutter something into his pillow. “Excuse me?” Tilting his head, Carlos moved to pull the pillow from Jay’s face, scowling at him. “I’m sorry, does my body offend you, Jadir?” Jay huffed, snatching the pillow back and making a face at Carlos as he clutched it to his chest. 

“No, your body doesn’t offend me, Carlos. I just….shit, okay, you’re attractive and I’m a healthy teenage boy, please put some clothes on.” Carlos blinked at the not-quite confession, a sly smirk pulling at his lips as he put a knee up onto the bed.

“I’m attractive?” He asked, one hand moving to press into the mattress beside Jay’s hip as he leant over him. “You really think so?” He hated the edge of self consciousness in his voice, the way the words from Jay made him feel almost...shy, again. Jay frowned, reaching to cup Carlos’ face.

“Dude. Have you looked in a mirror lately? Yeah, I really think you’re attractive. I’d have to be deaf dumb and blind not to.” He swallowed nervously as Gil began to stir next to them, letting his hand drop as Carlos swung a leg over his waist, pinning him to the bed and placing his hands on Jay’s chest, leaning forward to run his hands along tanned arms to raise them up above the older teens head, his face above Jay’s.

“I’ve wanted you for awhile now, Jay.” He shifted against him, eyes half lidded but gaze sharp. “ Since before you left me on the Isle to rot.” He hissed the words and Jay’s eyes widened as Carlos slid off him, moving to put his clothes on as Gil groaned, rolling onto his stomach. “Get your ass up, Gilbert. We’re gunna miss breakfast.” Gil sat up, rubbing his eyes as he gave a yawn, and Jay slowly got up, a pained look on his face. “Well come on. Five minutes, Gil. Let’s move it.” Gil gave a sleepy ‘aye aye Captain’ as he rose from the bed, stooping slightly to place a kiss on Carlos’ cheek before disappearing into the bathroom with a change of clothes. Jay watched the awkward, hesitant movements of the younger boy as he put together his and Gil’s bags and bit his bottom lip, conflicted as to what to do.

“I wanted you too, C. I’ve always wanted you, I think.” The words were softly spoken as Jay pushed himself from his bed, moving to gather his own things. “Why’d you think I let Mal tell me to help you with her Howler? I don’t do barge runs for party supplies.” Silence fell over the room, broken only by Gil pushing the door to the bathroom open to exit the room. 

“Here’s your things, Gil.” Carlos held out the bundle of books to the blond before turning to study Jay a moment. “Breakfast, Jay?” Jay nodded, and Carlos turned his attention back to his own books, Jay just catching the small twitch of a smile on the younger teens lips.

It was a start, at least.

-=-=-

“We have a deal, then?”

The air was thick with tension in the small, darkened room; two dirty glasses half full of mediocre, watered down whiskey sitting between the three men seated around the small table. Through the door, the noise of the tavern was muffled as the man who had spoken leant across the table to pick up the map that had been spread out on the table. 

“It seems like a fair enough deal. How do you plan on breaking the barrier to get through?” The man with the map smirked, tapping his finger on the harbour that docked the goblin barges three times, drawing attention to it. 

“I don’t. The barges come through a section on the barrier using some sort of Auradon magic. Only the barges can go through- we’ve tried bringing ships through and the barrier prevents it.” The was a thud against the door, three sets of eyes glancing over before the tallest of the group turn back to the map.

“And you’re implying we...what, steal a barge, Hook? I’m a hunter, not a thief.” Hook snorted, dragging his hook along the scarred wood of the table as he nodded towards Jafar.

“You taught that spawn of yours to steal, didn’t you?” Jafar nodded, frowning slightly as Hook gave a shrug, reaching to push that map towards the ex-viser. “I’m sure a little heist is within your skill set then. It was certainly within his.” Jafar huffed, taking a glance at the map before crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

“And if we get caught? We all know the punishment for trying to escape the Isle, Hook.” The pirate gave a hum, reaching into his coats inner pocket to withdraw something, tossing it onto the table with a smirk. Two sets of eyes focused of the red and black leather collar, and Hook raised a brow.

“Then I guess you’d better ask yourselves if the little mutt is worth the risk.” The two men exchanged a look, Gaston settling back in his chair as Jafar reached to pick up the collar, fingering the dog shaped tag attached to it before glancing up at the pirate.

“How did you…” Hook shrugged, and Jafar frowned slightly, tilting the collar. “Will it actually work outside of the barrier?” Leaning forward, Hook’s lips curled into a smirk as he tapped his hook on the corner of the map.

“They tossed it here with her, didn’t they? Had to be scared of something.” Jafar gave a slow nod, rubbing the leather of the collar with his thumb as he turned his attention to the map.

“I suppose you’d better get me the schedules for the barges then, yes?”


	8. Chapter 8

Classes were very different in Auradon, in comparison to Dragon Hall back on the Isle. Something about the more structured learning environment struck with Carlos- there were rewards for doing well, besides being shoved into lockers. Teachers enjoyed when you knew the answer to things; on the Isle, the only teacher who had ever given him praise had been Yen Sid, and though the old magician had never been sparing with his compliments, Carlos had always wondered if it was just the older man’s way of bringing some of Auradon onto the Isle. The classrooms were more organized, with text books that weren’t missing pages, desks that weren’t the remains of broken tables cobbled together to fit properly. The rooms were bright, well lit and clean, and the students were engaged in the lessons the teachers brought forth. 

Carlos, despite his reservations for Auradon on a whole, loved it. 

The first few classes of the day had been clearly designed for the Isle children who had been brought over; Remedial Goodness 101, for example, had clearly been created to gain an understanding on just how like their parents the VK’s were, asking questions that were incredibly offensive if anyone really looked at them. Carlos had answered Fairy Godmother’s questions with a quick efficiency, amused at how pleased the woman seemed as he gave her the proper answers. Gil had a bit more trouble with the questions at first, though he had caught on quickly to the pattern of answers once Carlos had pointed him in the right direction with his own answers. After that had been several lessons that Carlos had thought to be ridiculous- Safety Rules for the Internet sat high on the list, while Life Skills Without Magic seemed like basic common sense to the teen. Now he sat at a table in the cafeteria, Gil to one side and Jay on his other as he set his tray of food down before him. He hadn’t taken much- while Gil had been ecstatic to see the rows of food laid out for them, he had been careful not to take too much, remembering nights of eating as much as he could and getting sick, unused to the food in his stomach- and what he had taken had been well calculated for what he could eat and still take with him, hidden in the folds of his clothes, for later in the day. Both Jay and Evie had tried to assure him that there would always be food available, but the habit of sneaking his food was a hard one to quit and frankly he wasn’t sure how much he trusted either’s word. Ben and Mal sat along the opposite side of the table, deep in discussion as Evie wrote furiously in a notebook, a chemistry text open in front of her. Jay and Gil sat discussing the possibility of Gil trying out for Tourney, and a few other students sat along their table as well.

“Are you not hungry, Carlos?” Startled at suddenly being addressed, Carlos dropped his fork against his plate as he looked at the boy sitting across from him, frowning slightly at the question. He hadn’t thought anyone had been paying particular attention to him, and to be directly addressed surprised him. Glancing down at this plate, which held a few small samples of several of the plates that had been laid out on the table for students to pick from, he furrowed his brow in confusion at the question. His plate was small, certainly, but he had picked more food than he was use to eating- small amounts of each different food to try as he wasn’t sure which would make him ill or not.

“I don’t eat much.” He muttered, poking his fork into something that looked like it might be beef and holding it up to inspect. The boy adjusted his glasses as he looked over Carlos’ plate, and the younger teen couldn’t help but feel like he was being judged. 

“At least you’re having a try at everything! When these three got here, they only stuck to food they recognized at first. It took forever for us to convince them to try new things!” Carlos’ frown deepened some, and he took a careful bite of the beef, paying close attention to if he felt funny as he chewed. 

“I don’t know what will make me sick here. All of your food looks weird, and there’s more types of food. I have to try a bit of everything to make sure that I can eat it. Process of elimination….” He shrugged, finishing the few bites of beef before prodding at something that looked like the rotted vegetable gumbo Dr. Facilier would sometimes bring into school, but a much more vibrant red. Sniffing it, he sneezed, blinking several times before wrinkling his nose at the smell. Taking a bite, he made a face at the strong, spicy flavor, before pushing it aside to poke at something that had a similar smell to Ursula’s shop. “Excuse me, what’s this?” He glanced at the boy, a little put off at the calculating stare that the bespeckled teen had fixed him with, before spearing his fork through a part of the food item to hold it up. “I’ve never had this before.” The boy chuckled, pointing at the bite with his fork. 

“It’s tilapia. It’s really healthy for you, and totally delicious.” Carlos gave it a careful sniff, a bit wary of the item. It smelled like the fish served in Ursula’s shop- one of the items that caused him to be sick often. 

“Is it fish?” He asked, curiously. The boy exchanged a look with the chinese girl sitting next to him before giving a nod, his look softening as though Carlos’ question was some manner of heartbreaking. 

“Yeah, it’s fish. Straight from the harbour in Charmington, I think. Do you like fish? We eat it a lot here, it’s suppose to be really good for your brain...or at least that’s Mrs. Potts reasoning for why we have it so much here.” Carlos immediately put his fork down, pushing the plate away from him. He hadn’t know that the breaded and battered item was fish- it hadn’t been listed as seafood, and he hadn’t been able to smell it properly with all the other items on the table as well. 

“I can’t eat that. Or anything it’s touched. Am…” he glanced down the table, to Ben, before looking over his shoulder towards the food again, “Am I allowed to get a new plate? I can’t eat anything that’s touched the fish.” Uma had been the one to realize that everytime Carlos ate the fish Ursula served at her shop he became violently ill- she had stated that it must have been him, since every other person who ate the fish (freshly caught daily, the sign above the serving counter boasted) seemed fine. The other teen gave a nod, reaching to pick up the plate and pull it further from Carlos with a small, worried frown. 

“Are you allergic to fish?” Carlos tilted his head slightly, unsure of how to respond. He didn’t know what the word meant; he assumed it meant that he couldn’t eat the fish, in context to the conversation, and gave a small nod. 

“If that means I get sick when I eat it, sure.” The teen nodded, and Carlos shifted to push out his seat. Standing, he drew the attention of the table- all eyes shot towards him at the sharp movement, and he immediately felt awkward at the sudden attention. He hated when people stared- Jafar had stared at him often, when he cooked or cleaned or was helping around the store, he’d feel the man’s eyes following him everywhere. Gaston was even worse, with his obsessive need to look over every part of him, to touch and feel all the marred spots across his skin as though he could erase them, make him perfect. His mother had often inspected his body growing up, had counted the freckles strewn against his skin and with a click of her tongue dismissed him as too spotty, too chubby, too short. He backed away, turning to head towards the table as he felt the eyes follow him, and picked up a new plate to place a few baby carrots and something that looked brown and like the old pucks that use to make their way across to the Isle. Returning to the table, he settled back in his seat, aware of the gazes on him as he picked up the puck-like item to give it a sniff. 

“That’s chocolate, dude. You’re gunna love it.” Jay’s voice came from his left, and he tilted his head to regard the older teen a moment before taking a bite, eyes widening at the sweetness of the chocolate. He took another bite, humming happily as a salty, nutty taste joined the chocolate, and proceeded to stuff the entire thing into his mouth with a soft moan. 

“So good.” He murmured, sucking some of the chocolate from his fingers as he glanced around the table at the silence that had fallen. Jay and Gil were focused on him, both staring intently at his mouth as he licked his fingertips. Mal sat silently beside Ben, both watching him silently for a moment before returning to their own conversation, and Evie offered him a grin as she reached towards him, hesitating a moment before swiping her thumb against the corner of his mouth. 

“You’re getting almost as much of it on your mouth as in it, Carlos.” She teased, and he couldn’t help the small smile at her as she wiped her thumb off on her napkin. “Are you enjoying your classes?” Carlos nodded, picking up one of his carrots to take a bite, chewing thoughtfully before responding. 

“Yeah. There’s so much more structure here, and all of the text books are up to date and complete. It’s amazing. Not to mention the technology available to the students is amazing. But that Remedial Goodness class….it’s sort of a joke, isn’t it?” Evie snorted, covering his mouth with her hand as she gave a nod. 

“Oh, my evil, yes. I thought the same thing when we first got here, it’s all a little obnoxious, isn’t it?” Carlos nodded, and Evie pushed a strand of her hair back, shifting in her seat some. “I asked Doug about it-that’s Doug, he’s in our Chemistry class- he said that Fairy Godmother wasn’t sure what to expect from us when we came over, so they devised a class to basically….hmm.” Carlos snorted, resting his chin in his hand as he took another bite of carrot, talking as he chewed. 

“Find out how evil you were?” Evie nodded, and Carlos hummed as he reached for his glass of water. His elbow hit Jay’s glass, tipping it over onto the older teens plate, and he stilled, arm still raised as Jay let out a yelp at the liquid spreading over his plate. “Shit. Shit, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He snatched up his napkin, his mind racing to the last time he had knocked over a glass at the dinner table- his mother had been furious, the wine he’d accidentally knocked over spreading over the dirty white tablecloth like blood on tile, staining it and causing his mother to fall into a hysterics as she lashed out at him. He had tried to scrub the wine out of the cloth, his mother screeching at him as he did his best to lessen the damage done, but it hadn’t been enough. He placed the napkin over the slowly spreading water, patting it frantically as he tried to control his breathing, Jay reaching to help him after a moment. 

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s just water, Carlos. No harm done.” Ben’s voice was soft as a strong hand wrapped around Carlos’ hand; he hadn’t even noticed the king moving, let alone coming around the table to stand beside him. Ben took the napkin from his hands, and Jay gently pulled him away from the table with a small frown. 

“Sorry. Sorry I just…” Jay gave a half shrug, moving to squeeze the younger teens shoulder lightly as the bell rang to signify the end of the lunch period. 

“I get it, dude. It’s alright. You want me to show you where your next class is?” Carlos gave a small shrug, and Evie slipped between them to place a hand carefully on Carlos’ arm. 

“It’s alright, he can walk with me. You and Gil both have Basic Chivalry right now, you should take him.” Jay glanced at Gil before nodding, squeezing Carlos’ shoulder again before turning to head off towards his class. Carlos watched the two boys leave before turning back to Evie, staring at her as she gave him a soft smile. “Is that okay?” He shrugged, leaning to take his books from where he had set them beside his chair when he’d joined the table at the start of the period. 

“Yeah. It’s okay. I said I’d sit with you, right?” Evie beamed at him, and the two started off towards their class, Carlos letting the older girl ramble about where they were in Chemistry as they walked.

A little hiccup, a little embarrassment...at least he had made it through the meal unharmed. And that was what mattered in the end.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next one are sort of fillers, so they're going to be a little shorter, sorry!

“It’s a webcam, Carlos. You use it to see people who want to video chat with you on the computer.” Carlos shot Fairy Godmother a look, frowning at the almost condescending tone of voice the woman had as she addressed him. He hated it, how the adults in Auradon expected him to just know things he had never had access to before coming across the water from the Isle. How they looked down on the Isle kids for not automatically knowing what to do in situations they had never found themselves in- as though the thought of a learning curve had never crossed their minds when it came to things that were readily available in Auradon. 

“Yes, I can understand the concept.” He kept his tone in check, gaze travelling from the woman to the television set up at the front of the Remedial Goodness 101 class. The screen was black, a small red flashing in the upper left hand corner showing that it was waiting to connect, and he settled in one of the chair’s provided as Gil glanced between the t.v and Fairy Godmother. 

“Harry and Uma are going to be on the t.v?” The blond asked, moving to sit in the chair next to Carlos as Fairy Godmother pressed a button on the laptop hooked up to the t.v. The woman nodded, the screen changing to what looked like another, nautical themed classroom, Harry and Uma’s faces taking up most of the screen. “Hey! Hey guys! Can you hear me!” Harry grinned, and Uma rolled her eyes as she rested her chin on her hand.

“Yes, Gil, we can hear you. Hi.” Carlos was amused to see that the two teens seemed to be wearing some sort of white and navy uniform; Harry seemed to have altered his to be sleeveless, while Uma had pinned several seashells to the collar of hers. “Are you two alright?” She cast a glance between them, eyes narrowing slightly as she took in the way Carlos leant towards Gil some. “No trouble with the preppies?” Carlos shrugged, and Gil flashed them a grin. 

“No, not really. Classes are sort of la-er. They’re different from back home, but the people have pretty much been avoiding us?” Carlos nodded, agreeing with Gil's words, and Harry shifted to put his face closer to the camera on their end of the call. 

“Missing my night time cuddles yet, lads?” Harry’s gaze moved from Carlos to Gil, brow raised as he crossed his arms over his chest. Carlos gave a small nod of his head, and Gil followed suit as he shifted to rest an arm on the back of Carlos’ chair. 

“A bit. Adjusting to Auradon has been...difficult. But we’re okay for the most part. Only a few waves.” Harry nodded at Carlos’ words, understanding the meaning behind the code- Carlos had been having nightmares, but nothing he and Gil couldn’t handle. “How’s the academy? I like your uniforms, very handsome.” Carlos smirked as Harry made a face, and Uma huffed a sigh as her companion shifted back in his seat, clearly agitated. 

“I hate this bloody uniform. Had to take off the sleeves, I hated them so much.” Carlos snickered, and Uma rolled her eyes as she gave Harry a shove. 

“He ripped them off in the middle of class, oh my evil. I legitimately can’t take him anywheres, Pup, why didn’t you come with us? You’re the only one who can give him impulse control.” Carlos snorted, shaking his head with a small smile as he shifted to press back against Gil’s arm. It was nice to see the other two pirates- ex-pirates now, he supposed, eyeing their uniforms with amusement. 

“Harry, you need sleeves while you’re in the navy. I hear there’s a ban on open weapon carrying on Prince Eric’s ships, and you’d never get away with those guns.” Carlos could barely keep from laughing as he spoke, and Uma made a disgruntled noise as she threw her arms up, barely missing Harry as he burst into laughter. 

“Gods, I miss the two of you. Seriously, why didn’t you come with us?” Harry’s mirthful tone lessened as he frowned at the screen, and Carlos gave a soft sigh as he shrugged. He missed Uma and Harry, but he had no desire to spend his life at sea, and as far as he knew neither did Gil. 

“I’m not that great on the water, Harry. You know that. Besides, it’s not so bad here.” He offered a half smile, and Harry’s frown deepened as he shifted in his seat. 

“You’re not looking so great, though, Pup. Mal and her minions haven’t been giving you trouble, right?” Uma’s tone was just shy of concerned, and Carlos couldn’t help but appreciate the softness that seemed to have settled around her as she watched them on the t.v in their classroom. 

“Just been hard to sleep, it’s fine. I’m fine. Gil’s going to join the Tourney team, did anyone mention that yet?” Two sets of eyes darted to the side of the screen Carlos assumed Gil was on, and the blond slipped slightly in his seat at the sudden attention. 

“It was just an idea, I don’t know if I’m gunna actually do it.” Gil’s voice was quiet as he shifted in his seat, eyes moving to the floor as his cheeks flushed slightly. Carlos frowned, reaching to touch Gils arm lightly to gain the older boys attention. 

“Hey, no, it’s a good idea. Gives you something to do that’s active. And you can tackle Jay a lot, that’s a thing in Tourney right? Tackling?” Gil chuckled, and Carlos pat his arm lightly before turning his attention to the television once more. “How are the two of you liking your classes so far?” Uma shifted to lean back in her seat, and Harry rolled his eyes as he let out a groan. 

“Boring. They’re treating us like we’ve never been on a ship before and it’s awful, Pup. Plus, do you guys have to go to these Remedial Goodness classes? They’re bullshit! Like I don’t know how to say please and thank you. My father’s an Eton educated man, you think he didn’t teach us basic manners?” Carlos cast a glance at Fairy Godmother, who seemed oddly surprised at the information, before tilting his head to wrinkle his nose at Harry’s frustration. 

“Yeah, but you also are prone to throwing fits and ripping off the sleeves of your uniform. I could see why they’d think you need the refresher.” His tone was teasing, and Harry stuck his tongue out at the younger teen before Carlos offered a genuine smile. “No fights? You’re behaving?” Harry nodded, and Uma gave a small huff as she waved her hand. 

“Yes, mom, we’re being good. You’re seriously the worst villain in existence, are you going to be checking up on us daily? Making sure we hand in our homework on time?” Carlos rolled his eyes, and Uma grinned, leaning forward and placing a hand on her cheek. 

“Someone has to keep you ingrates in line.” Gil chuckled beside him, and Carlos shot the blond a shy smile. “But seriously, I’m...really proud of you guys for not wasting this opportunity. You’ll let us know if anything goes tits up, right?” Fairy Godmother cleared her throat at his words, and Carlos rolled his eyes- he hadn’t even really swore.

“Yeah, Pup. We know we need to not mess this up. It’s too good a gig, right? Prince Eric said he could see us making ships crew in less than a year, and then we’ll be at sea instead of in the school.” Uma’s eyes lit up at the mention of being on a ship, and Carlos’ smile softened as he took in how good the once-captain looked. 

“I’m really happy for you guys. I’m glad you’re settling in well.” The two ex-pirates exchanged a look as as Carlos let his gaze fall to the table the t.v sat on, and above his head Gil shot Uma and Harry a complicated look, eyes darting from Carlos to Fairy Godmother and back.

“Have you uh. Seen Cruella yet?” Uma’s words were hesitant, almost as though she didn’t want to ask, and Carlos shook his head as his hands moved to curl into fists in his lap. 

“No. And I don’t really want to, either. Would you want to see Ursula again?” Uma’s cheeks flushed, and Carlos glanced up, biting his lip at the look on the older girl’s face. 

“Uma...sorry. I just really have no desire to see her after what happened.” Uma nodded, and Fairy Godmother cleared her throat again to gain their attention. 

“I’m sorry, but it’s almost the end of class. Benjamin has had a laptop with a web camera sent to your room, and Uma and Harry you should have one as well. You’ll be able to keep in contact now, but it’s time to say goodbyes.” Carlos nodded, and Gil shifted in his seat, a sad look on his face. 

“I miss you guys.” Harry’s expression dropped as he reached out towards the screen, and Gil followed suit to touch Harry’s hand on the screen. “Like, a lot. I wish you could be here with us.” Beside Gil, Carlos sat in silence, his eyes focusing on a spot on the floor as Harry and Uma tried to placate the blond. Once they had all said their goodbyes, Fairy Godmother turned off the t.v, offering a smile to the two teens. 

“Now, I know it’s been a trying morning, but I’m very proud of you boys for behaving so well. Don’t forget that should you ever need anything you can come to me, as headmistress of the school it’s my responsibility to make sure you have what you need. Alright?” The two nodded, and outside the classroom the bell rang, signalling the end of class. Gil lead the way out into the hall, pausing after a moment to turn to Carlos, frowning at the sullen look on the boys face. Glancing around, he reached to pull Carlos into a stairwell, steering him under it to avoid the students travelling to class and placing a hand on the younger teen’s shoulder. 

“C? What’s wrong?” Carlos gave a small half shrug, and Gil’s frown deepened as he dropped his bag to the ground to duck slightly in an attempt to catch Carlos’ eyes. “Hey. None of that, tell me what’s wrong.” Carlos heaved a sigh, glancing up through his lashes at Gil before reaching to rub his hand over his face tiredly. 

“Do you regret that you stayed here with me?” He asked, voice small as his hand dropped to his side and he shifted his weight nervously. Gil’s brows furrowed in confusion, and Carlos hurried to continue speaking. “Instead of going with Uma and Harry. Do you regret sticking around here to deal with my craziness?” Gil’s expression softened as he pulled Carlos to him, wrapping his arms around him carefully as he rested his cheek on the shorter teen’s head. 

“What? No, I don’t regret anything, C. You need me here. And I need to be here with you. Yeah, I miss Harry and Uma. I miss them a lot.” Carlos winced, and Gil tightened his arms around him. “But I’d miss you more, Carlos. The thought of leaving you here and having someone like Jay or Evie or even Ben be the one to comfort you is really shitty. I’m not going anywhere you aren’t. Okay?” Carlos placed a hand on Gil’s chest, curling his fingers into the fabric of the older teen’s shirt as he gave a small nod, pressing his face into Gil’s shoulder. 

“Okay.” Gil hummed, and Carlos pulled back slightly, leaning to press a firm kiss to Gil’s lips as he clutched the taller teen’s shoulders. Gil leant into the kiss, relaxing into it as he placed his hands on Carlos’ waist before pulling back some to break it.

“I’m serious, C. You’re sort of stuck with me now.” Carlos smiled, shifting up on his toes to press their foreheads together as he gave a small, somewhat content sight. 

“I know. I just worry that you’d be happier with the others…” Gil frowned, pressing another kiss to Carlos’ lips before giving his jaw a light nip. 

“No way. I’m happiest here with you. Besides, we can always go visit Harry and Uma right?” Carlos gave a small laugh, shaking his head as Gil beamed. 

“You’re so smart, Gil. Of course we can.” Gil’s grin grew at the laugh, and Carlos reached to pat the older teen’s cheek lightly before pulling away. “We should head to class. I imagine Mal and Ben are waiting for us to arrive…” His smile fell some, and Gil stepped back to tilt his face up slightly, kissing his nose. 

“We’ll get through this class, and then we get to go back to the dorm. It’ll be alright.” Carlos nodded, and Gil bent to grab his bag, reaching to take Carlos’ hand to lead them towards the classroom.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took forever guys, my wife's been sick and now my cat is sick and it's been crazy hectic at work TAT I'm getting back on track though!

“Did they seem...weird to you, Harry?”

Harry glanced over at Uma from where he’d settled into his seat for their Nautical Cartography lesson, taking in the sharp frown gracing the girl’s lips as she set her text book down none too gently on the wooden tabletop. He thought back on the video call they had just had- Gil had seemed excited to see them in the beginning, his excitement turning to longing the longer they talked, and Carlos hadn’t seemed any better than the last time they’d seen him- quiet and a bit twitchy. 

“They were both sort of off, yeah. You don’t think something happened that they aren’t telling us, do you?” Uma frowned, seating herself at her desk to pull out her notebook before turning to face Harry as a few other student’s entered the room. 

“Like what? You don’t think someone’s hurting them, do you?” Harry shrugged, though his expression remained concerned as he settled into his own seat behind Uma. 

“Hurting them, making their time difficult at school, its not like we haven't had our share of idiots, Uma. Auradon isnt the bright light of acceptance everyone tried to make it out to be on the way over here.” Uma’s brows furrowed at the comment, and Harry let out a huff. “And Gilly boy wouldn’t recognize someone tormenting him half the time, and Pup is…” he trailed off with a frown, fixing his gaze on his hands folding on the desk before him. They’d taken his hook upon arrival at the hospital they had been brought to upon exiting the Isle, his hand feeling oddly light without the familiar weight of the steel prosthetic, and the doctors had ignored his requests for its return. “He doesn’t know how to protect himself proper from adults, does he?” Uma nodded, tilting her head slightly to the side as she considered Harry’s words. 

“They haven’t got a chance by themselves, do they. We should have insisted they come with us, they’re hopeless alone.” Harry nodded enthusiastically, tapping his fingers against the desktop as Uma shifted to turn towards him more. 

“We need to rescue them.” Uma gave him a look, and he raised a brow. “Crew doesn’t abandon crew, Uma. They need us. Neither of them can rightly function without us.” Uma nodded slowly, the words seemingly common sense to the sea witch as she considered Harry’s suggestion. 

“We’re going to need a ship. I’ve never raided a port before, I’m not sure what we’ll need for that…” the two fell into silence for several minutes, contemplating the idea as a few more students filed into the classroom around them. Uma opened her notebook, picking up her pen and pressing it to the page as she tried to think of a way to obtain a ship, glancing up as Harry spoke softly behind her. 

“I have an idea...but it involves my da.”

-=-=-

Carlos’ bag sat on the floor beside his desk, his school books tucked inside as he tapped a rhythm out on the table top, listing slightly to the side as he gave a yawn. Jay and Gil had gone down to the tourney field after classes had let out for the day, leaving Carlos alone to get through the homework that had been assigned for the day. They had invited him along, but the prospect of sitting on the bleachers while the two did whatever sports related activities they had planned hadn’t appealed to him, and he had waved them off as he’d settled at his desk. Twenty minutes later, a neat pile of completed homework had been placed into his notebook, and his attention had shifted to looking around the room. It was surprisingly tidy, for having three teenage boys living in it- especially since he knew that both Jay and Gil were fairly messy people when it came to their living arrangements. He suspected that a lot of the sudden change in cleanliness came from rooming with him- his obsessive need to ensure that everything was perfectly tidy, least his mother punish him, had followed him across the ocean to Auradon and he was sure the others had noticed. 

He hadn’t really thought about his mother consciously since the second vehicle had taken her beyond the school on the day they had all left the Isle, not until Uma had brought her up during their call. He hadn’t bothered to ask Ben where Cruella was since leaving the hospital, hadn’t wanted the knowledge of her whereabouts on his mind, but now that Uma had brought her absence to his attention it was as though she’d opened up a flood gate of curiosity. He knew that Ben had taken her to some sort of hospital, but the king hadn’t stated where that was- if it was close to the school, if she was miles away from him. The part of him that had lived in fear of his mother for his entire life worried that she would manage to escape wherever she had been taken to, though he knew that logically Ben wouldn’t have brought her off of the Isle if he had no way to contain and monitor her in Auradon. He pressed his fingertips hard into the pliable finish on the desk, giving a small shiver as his mind wandered to other people who could no longer hurt him. A small part of him wondered what Jafar and Gaston were doing; if they had moved on to another small, scared boy now that he was gone, if anyone else had caught their interest. He hoped not- he wouldn’t wish their attention on anyone, and...well. 

A small part of him wanted that attention for himself. As something he had earned through the months of putting up with them, of being the good, obedient boy they had often claimed he was. It made him sick, the way he craved even the smallest amount of that attention still. He knew it was wrong, that his mother had conditioned him to need approval from adults from a young age, but he couldn’t help the curl of want that settled within him whenever he was around someone older than him. 

“Carlos?” His eyes darted towards the dorm room door as it opened, his mouth dry at the sudden intrusion as though Mal could hear his thoughts and had come to punish him. The girl poked her head into the room hesitantly, brows furrowed as she spotted him at his desk, having caught his wide eyed stare at the center of the table top. “I was wondering if we could talk, maybe?” Carlos’ eyes darted from Mal to the window, before taking a slow breath and giving a nod. The intrusion wasn’t welcome, and Mal still made him incredibly nervous after the arm grabbing incident, but he felt that he at least owed it to her to hear her out since she had made an effort to give him space all day. 

“Sure, Mal. Uh...come on in, I guess?” He glanced around, making sure none of his exits were blocked- the bathroom door was open, as well as the closest window to him, so he gestured for Mal to pull up a chair to the desk beside him, cautious but willing to let her sit near him. She did so without hesitation, grabbing the chair from Jay’s desk to drag to Carlos’ before settling into it, picking at her hands nervously. “What did you want to talk about?” Silence settled over them for a moment as Mal gathered herself, and Carlos jumped slightly as she reached out to rest a hand lightly on his. 

“I just wanted to apologize. For...for everything. For the other day, with the closet. But also for...for not coming back for you sooner. For not realizing that you needed us. For...not for forgetting, we never completely forgot you Carlos. I want...no I need, I need you to know that. We thought about you every day, we had Ben working on getting you over from the Isle, but things because so crazy...it’s not an excuse. It’s not. And I know I said we had forgotten on the Isle but we really didn’t, not really. We were trying to get you over here. I need you to know that. And you don’t have to forgive me, but I’d really like to make things right with you. You’re...you’re so important to me, Carlos. And you’re getting closer to Jay and Evie again and I want that, I want you to want that with me, to want to let me in even if it’s just a little bit. I know we fucked up- that I fucked up, oh boy did I fuck up but I know that. And you always said that it’s the intent to recognize something that has to change that counts, right? This is me, recognizing that I need to change. That we, this, us? It needs to change. I don’t want you to be scared of me anymore. I never wanted you to be scared of me ever again, Carlos. You...you have to know that, please.” Her words were pleading, the expression on her face pained, and though he winced at the quick, harried way she spoke them he had to take her words at face value. He knew he had nothing that she could want- he’d come from the Isle with nothing, just a few articles of clothing. She seemed to be honest in her want to make things right with him, and though his chest still ached at her having left him to begin with, a large part of him wanted to forgive her the way he had Jay and Evie. Not fully; the three had a lot of work to do to earn his forgiveness fully, but he would be worse than his mother if he didn’t acknowledge that Mal was trying. 

“I...Mal. I know you’re trying. And I...I want to be able to forgive you, so much. I know why you left, and I know I shouldn’t blame you for not coming back, but it hurt. It hurt so much that you all just...left me there, you have to know it hurt me. It’s going to take time before I can forgive you. But…” he licked his lips, turning his hand in hers to squeeze her palm, his gaze softening slightly as he spoke, “I’m willing to let you work on earning it. If...that’s something worth trying.” He didn’t want to say if he was worth trying for- worried she’d say no, that it would be too much work, not worth it. Mal’s lips tilted into a smile, her eyes widening at the utterance as she nodded enthusiastically at him. 

“I-yes of course that’s something I want to work towards, yes, thank you so much Carlos.” He offered her a shy smile, and was startled when she started to sniffle, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at him. “I’m sorry, I just, I wasn’t sure you’d ever forgive me and I just...I’m just so incredibly happy right now.” Carlos blinked as Mal reached to wipe her eyes with her free hand, unsure as to what he should do in the situation they found themselves. He ackwardly pat her hand, frowning some as she gave a little hiccup, and cleared his throat after a moment. 

“You’re welcome?” Mal laughed, shaking her head some as a knock sounded at the door. Both teens looked up as Evie poked her head in, and Carlos’ lip twitched slightly as she grinned at the sight that greeted her. “Hey, Evie. Did you need something?” Evie shook her head, slipping into the room and brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear nervously as she glanced between the two. 

“No, I just thought I’d come check on the two of you...is everything okay?” Carlos nodded, gesturing for her to join them, and Evie made her way into the room to stand next to Mal’s chair, placing a hand on the other girls’ shoulder as she smiled at the two. 

“Carlos and I are going to work on my earning his forgiveness, E.” Mal’s words were spoken as though revealing a secret, and Evie tilted her head to glance at Carlos, smiling at his nod. 

“Well that’s good, Mal. Oh! Carlos, I wanted to see if you had any interest in coming to watch a movie in Ben’s room with a group of us? It’s just a small group of people, Doug and Lonnie and Ben, probably Mal-” Mal nodded beside her, “- and I think Jay is asking Gil if he wants to come too. Chad might be there, I’m not sure since he’s Doug’s roommate, and I think Jane said she was going to come. Does that sound like something you might want to do?” Carlos thought on it a moment, hesitant at the thought of so many people that he barely knew in one room. He knew Auradon was suppose to be a fresh start, that the people were supposed to be kinder and he was suppose to be safer, but he worried regardless. The thought that Gil, and to a lesser extent Jay, would be there helped, and he gave a small nod as he shifted back in his seat, releasing Mal’s hand to flex his fingers some. 

“Yeah, that would be okay I guess. When are you guys doing it?” Evie glanced at the clock on the wall, giving a little hum as one hand moved to pet idly at Mal’s hair. 

“At seven, so in about two hours. Is that enough time? Ben said he’s going to have popcorn sent up to his room, but we can go to the kitchens and grab some junk food to have while we’re watching movies too. I think the boys picked out some sort of action movie, but I’m not sure.” Carlos nodded, thinking on anything he had to do before seven.

“No, I’m alright. I might take a short nap before then? I’m sort of tired.” He glanced towards the door, hoping the girls would take the hint that he wanted to be alone, and Evie nodded, offering him a small smile as she tugged Mal up from her seat. 

“No worries, Carlos. It’s probably been a really long day for you, I remember how exhausting everything was when we first got here. We’ll let you sleep some, and Jay can show you and Gil to Ben’s room later tonight, sound good?” Carlos nodded, giving the girls a wave as they moved to leave, and once the two had disappeared out the door her let out a long sigh as he rubbed his face with his hands. Auradon was exhausting, and the effort involved with Mal and the other’s wanting his forgiveness was equally so, the pressure on him building every time the trio spoke to him. It was easier with Jay than it was with Mal- it had always been easier with Jay, from the first time the group had interacted as a whole, and even more so with Evie, who had been his first friend besides the tentative friendship he held with his cousin. He pushed back his chair, stretching his arms above his head as he turned to make his way to Gil’s bed, crawling onto the plush mattress to bury his face into the blond’s pillow, soothed by the lingering scent of the other teen. Being good was hard; forgiving people felt impossible, even if he wanted to just let the past go. Everything was exhausting, and he just wanted the world to stop for a bit so he could catch his bearings. 

He fell asleep wondering if leaving the Isle had brought more trouble than he had anticipated.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this story isnt just gaylos guys.

He couldn’t move. 

Something was holding him down, keeping him trapped, and his eyes were closed so tight they hurt. His arms were pulled tight above him, and somewhere near him he could hear the movement of a body larger than his own. He was caught between needing to breathe and not wanting to draw attention to himself, his chest aching at the lack of air as he tried to move. 

“Now now, my treasure. None of that.” He stilled, his entire body ridgid at the familiar voice above him, and he couldn’t quell the shivers that ran down his body as a firm, heavy hand landed on his chest. 

“Please, no.” It was a whimper, small and scared as the hand pressed harder- he had gotten away from this, hadn’t he? He’d escaped, the man shouldn’t be there. The man shouldn’t be there, touching him, holding him down. 

“No? You know better than that, Carlos. You don’t say no to me.” The hand moved, sliding over his chest and down his stomach, and Carlos cried out, struggling against the touch as he tried to free his hands, to kick out his legs, pleading to be released.

“Stop that.” His mother’s voice, sharper than any knife that had ever pierced his skin, and he stilled, terrified of angering her by disobeying. The hand brushed along his chest, moving to press tight to his throat, and the fear of strangulation warred with his fear of his mother, forcing him to still under the man’s touch as he tried to control his breathing. 

“Carlos.” He had to escape. He had to escape, to get away from his mother and the men who hurt him, and his struggles redoubled as hands grabbed his arms, his chest, his legs. 

“Carlos.” He lashed out, letting out a yell as a hand grabbed his hands and pinned them to his chest, trapping them there as the voice became more persistent. “Carlos, it’s just a nightmare. You need to wake up.” He gasped, his eyes opening at the words, and found himself laying on his side, strong arms wrapped around him keeping his arms trapped against his chest as a soft voice spoke in his ear. “You’re okay. They aren’t here, you’re okay.” He felt the fight leave him almost immediately at the familiar voice, his body shaking as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to cry. 

It was just a dream. A terrible nightmare, but a dream nonetheless, and he wasn’t trapped on the Isle still, wasn’t with his mother or Jafar. 

“If I let you go, are you going to stay calm?” Giving a half nod, Carlos relaxed slightly as the arms around him loosened, and he turned to press his face into the broad chest he had been pressed against, letting out a single muffled sob before he attempted to get himself under control. “C? Are...is this okay then?” He nodded his head, fingers curling into the fabric of the other boys shirt as he hiccupped. 

“S’okay Jay. Thanks for waking me up.” Warm hands soothed along his spine, not holding him in place but offering protection without being intrusive. Jay gave a hum, the two laying in silence for a long moment before Carlos pulled away slightly, wiping his face with the back of his hand. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Carlos frowned, sniffling some as he wiggled himself closer to the warmth of the older teen, taking a moment to revel in the familiarity of the moment- too many nights, back before Ben’s declaration, had been spent curled up together in the treehouse or in the warehouse. 

“S’just a nightmare. My mom was there...and Jafar.” Jay stiffened slightly before letting out a slow breath, the hand on Carlos’ back rubbing slow circles on his back as from somewhere behind them, a soft whine sounded. Turning slightly, Carlos spotted Gil standing awkwardly to the left of the bed; a concerned look on his face as he hovered near them. Gesturing for the blond to join them with a small nod, Gil climbed onto the bed to lay at Carlos’ back, one heavy arm draping over both Carlos and Jay as Gil pressed his face to the youngests hair. 

“You were yellin, C. It musta been a bad one.” Carlos nodded, pressing back against Gil in a reassuring manner before Jay shifted so Carlos could rest against his chest, Gil curled as close as he could. 

“Hey, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. And if you’re not up to a movie at Ben’s we can just stay in. Today was a lot of stuff in one and no one will judge you for needing to settle into things.” Carlos frowned slightly at Jay’s words; while he appreciated the sentiment, he didn’t want to stay in the dorm room when things got to be too much. 

“That would feel too much like letting them win if I do that. I want to go to the movie.” Jay nodded, and Gil squeezed the arm wrapped around him with a soft hum. 

“If it gets too much we can always leave. Its not like Bens dorm room is in another building.” He paused a moment, frowning. “It's not, right?” Jay snorted, shaking his head, and Gil grinned. “See? It’ll all be good.” Carlos nodded, the trio falling silent for a moment before Carlos began speaking again. 

“I dreamt I was back on the Isle. At least I think I was...Jafar was there. I couldn’t move at all, I couldn’t see...but someone was touching me and my mom was talking to me.” He shuddered, and two sets of arms curled around him protectively, as though trying to protect him from the memory of his dream. “Jafar never tied me down. Gaston did, once in the beginning...I didn’t like it.” Thick fingers pet through his hair, and he couldn’t tell who they belonged to. 

“You screamed so much for him to untie you that you lost your voice the whole next day. I remember that.” Gil’s voice was soft, and Jay made a discontent sound as Carlos nodded. 

“At least Jafar usually...like, left me alone most of the time I was with him. He’d make me dance for him and clean, but he’d let me read for hours sometimes.” He almost whispered the words, and after a moment he shook himself, trying to move past the memories the dream had pulled up. “I know what they all did to us was wrong and that it takes time to recover from systematic abuse but I just want to be better now. I'm tired of nightmares.” He sat up, rubbing his face before hefting a large sigh as he glanced at the clock. “Let me go was my face and we can go to Ben’s room.” Gil and Jay nodded, though Jay shot a concerned look his way as Carlos slid from the bed to go to the bathroom. Pausing in the doorway he frowned, turning to fix Jay with a firm look as he offered a half smile. 

“Im fine Jay, seriously. It's just a bad dream. They can’t hurt me anymore.”

-=-=-

The barges were better secured than Hook had anticipated. 

He hadn’t counted on the boy prince of Auradon doubling the security in response to the embargo being lifted; new, better trained guards came in with every shipment of supplies making it difficult to get anywheres near the ships whenever they docked. He had tried several times with little luck- the guards were bringing the items off the barges themselves, boxes of food and necessities that were slowly becoming the norm for the people of the Isle. 

“You said you knew how to get a ship, Hook. Failure is not a good look on you.” The pirate captain rolled his eyes at the words as they drifted to him from behind the beaded curtain separating Jafar’s junk shop from the rest of the man’s home. He had returned to the other man’s home to inform him of the issue with their plan, and Jafar had been unimpressed; spitting something in Arabic before disappearing into the back through the curtain. 

“There’s nearly twelve guards per barge, Jafar. We’d never get onto the ship, let alone be able to get it out of here without being caught. You’re going to have to give up on your ridiculous dream of having the boy back. Can’t you find a nice replacement? He couldn’t have been that special, any warm hole should do. The boy was a little simple, was he not?.” Something came flying from behind the curtain and he ducked, quick reflexes saving him from the butchers knife Jafar had thrown. 

“You will not speak of him in that vulgar manner, Hook. That boy could have single handedly gotten us all off of this hell hole had he been given a proper chance, and he was the one true treasure on this rotted ghost of an island.” Hook raised a brow, reaching to pull the knife from where it had embedded itself in the wall near him to place it on the counter, shifting to glance through the curtain curiously. Jafar paced the small space of the living room area, stroking his beard as he mumbled to himself. 

“Was he really as smart as the kids said he was?” Jafar shifted his attention to Hook, raising a brow before moving to stand before him, arms crossed over his chest. 

“He is smarter than anyone on this Isle ever gave him credit for. Not just for building things from the scraps he finds, but because for all Cruella has tortured and abused the boy, he escaped. He managed to convince those traitors to take not only him but your son and his little pack of wharf rats with them. He turned Gaston and I into blathering idiots at the thought of not being able to possess him. The boy wasn’t simply smart, Hook.” The man shifted some, a harried look on his face as he gestured, continuing to speak. “He broke the barrier with something he created to get television stations, with parts he snuck around in the middle of the night to find.” Hook fixed him with a look for a long moment, taking in the man’s words and carefully examining them. 

“Jafar...just how long have you been stalking the de Vil boy?” Jafar scowled, waving the question off momentarily as he moved to pick up a red and black shirt from the floor beside his arm chair. 

“I first noticed him last year. Jay started to bing him over after the barrier opened- the children went to retrieve Maleficent’s sceptre from the Forbidden Fortress on the Isle of Doomed and it made them want to spend time together or some other nonsense- and well. He was so polite and shy. Nothing like the little fae monster Jay spent all his time with at all. Knew to say yes sir and do as he was asked, and even you should be able to admit the boy is a looker, even if he’s not your sort.” Hook hemmed, giving a half shrug of agreement before Jafar continued. “He caught my interest. I’d see him in the market and have to follow him, see what he was doing. He’s graceful as any royal, yet stronger than his slim physique would lead one to believe. Quick to make himself seem invisible, as well. I’d often visit Hell Hall in hopes that he’d be there, talking to him while Cruella was distracted with any number of trinkets I’d bring her.” Hook hummed, his interest captured at the imagery Jafar spun while talking about the teen. He could see how the boy could capture someone’s interest, he supposed, but still didn’t see the appeal of Jafar and Gaston’s obsession with him. 

“A little bit of a stalker, aren’t you? Regardless, the barges aren’t going to be the way to get to him. We won’t be getting through those guards any time soon, even with LeGume’s bulk. So think of another way.” Jafar frowned, twisting the fabric of the shirt in his fingers as he contemplated the man’s words. “I’ve a video call from Harry to attend to, but you know where to find me.” He gave a half wave as he turned to leave, one careless glance back revealing Jafar having sunk into the chair as he continued to twist the shirt in his hands. Shaking his head, Hook took off out of the shop, heading to his home in hopes of having a few minutes to figure out the strange video contraption that had been sent to him from Auradon once Harry had disappeared.

Perhaps his son could shed some light on the mystery of the de Vil boy.


	12. Chapter 12

Ben’s bedroom was huge; larger still than the bedroom Carlos shared with Gil and Jay, and he couldn’t help but be impressed at the privacy offered to the king while he finished his schooling at Auradon Prep. Frankly, Carlos had never really understood the idea behind letting a soft, naive sixteen year old ascend the throne when King Adam was still, quite honestly, in his prime. It made no sense; what sort of practice could Ben possibly have in diplomacy, in running a country, when just before the others had left the Isle they had broadcast the teen’s sixteenth birthday party, showing the then king-to-be as the teenager he truly was. He appreciated Ben’s attempt to fix things on the Isle; Ben had made sure to let Carlos know what he was sending to the Isle to ensure he forgot nothing that was needed, but he’d had to ask so many questions about basic needs that Carlos had been concerned. 

It was no wonder Maleficent had been so adamant about the trio obtaining the wand and setting the Isle free if Ben and his father were this uneducated in important things like basic human survival. 

Though Ben had, and was willing to ask for, help. King Adam’s inefficiency when dealing with the Isle was on course to being fixed thanks to Ben, and though it was a long way off from everything being alright Carlos knew to give credit where it was due. Glancing at the teen seated on the couch beside him, Carlos couldn’t help but wonder what Ben would do for the people of the Isle next. 

“So I don’t know much about this movie except that it’s a romantic comedy? Lonnie wanted a horror movie but Jane can’t do horror, and Evie veto’d action after last time…” Carlos raised a brow, and Ben gave a sheepish grin. “Jay and I got a little too riled up after the last one.” From Ben’s other side, the small quiet girl who had sank into the cushions at Carlos and Gil’s arrival spoke up. 

“They broke a table. My mother was furious.” Ben chuckled, and the girl offered a shy smile to Carlos. “I’m Jane, by the way. I’m not sure if anyone told you who, um, I was.“ Carlos offered a half smile to her, noting that she seemed far more nervous around him than any of the others had. He took in the large blue eyes and round almost cherubic face, placing the familiar features with the remembrance of her name being mentioned in Remedial Goodness once or twice before. 

“Fairy Godmother’s daughter, right? I’m Carlos, and that’s Gil. It’s nice to meet you.” Something about her made him nervous; the way she watched him as though he was some sort of feral creature, waiting to attack her even with the king seated between them, made his skin crawl in a way it hadn’t since the first time one of the younger kids on the Isle had seen him injure someone in defense- as though he would hurt them for no reason. He shifted a bit further towards the opposite end of the couch, wary of making the girl scared enough to potentially ask her mother to send him back to the Isle to keep her safe. 

“It’s...er. Lovely to meet you.” Carlos’ smile dipped slightly at her hesitance, and he gave a nod before Ben cut in, noting the tension between them. 

“Have you had popcorn yet, Carlos? Dizzy loves it, I hope she gets back from her Aunts in time to join us.” Carlos frowned at the question, confused for a moment before realizing Ben meant the bowl situated in his lap full of some sort of warm air popped corn kernel. Shaking his head, he took the offered handful that Ben held out to pop one into his mouth, letting out a pleased noise at the surprising taste. 

“That’s good!” He stated, earning a wide grin from Ben and a polite smile from Jane. “Gil, come try this.” Gil immediately abandoned Jay in moving the chairs around to go to Carlos, giving the popcorn a curious look as Carlos held up a piece for him to try. Leaning down to let the younger teen pop the piece into his mouth, Gil’s eyes widened as he hummed happily. 

“Oh! It’s really good!” Carlos chuckled, patting Gil’s cheek lightly before nodding for him to rejoin Jay, and Ben grinned widely as he offered the entire bowl to Carlos. 

“There's a few bowls floating around here, why don’t you take this one?” Carlos nodded, taking the bowl to place it in his lap as he turned his gaze to Gil and Jay. They appeared to be moving the chairs all out of the way to make a clearing in the middle of the floor, and near Ben’s bed Mal and Evie were gathering pillows and blankets. Giving them a curious look, he turned his attention back to Ben and raised a brow. “We usually make a big...nest, I guess, in the middle of the floor when we have movie night. Jane, Chad, Doug and Lonnie usually take over the couches and then Mal, Evie, Jay and myself lay on the floor. You’re welcome to join us on the floor or we can pull some seats over for you and Gil if you want.” Carlos nodded, watching as Mal dumped her pile of blankets onto the floor before moving to start making a nest for them to lay in. Evie’s multitude of pillows- and really, who needed twelve pillows?- joined them, and the two girls worked on creating a comfortable little nest before settling into it, Jay moving to sit beside Evie as the blue haired girl found herself with Mal’s head in her lap. 

“I’ll sit wherever Gil wants to, it’s fine.” Ben nodded, moving to slide from the couch to sit beside Jay as Lonnie and Doug pulled the curtains closed to darken the room, Chad turning on the t.v as he collapsed on the couch beside Jane, taking up most of the cushions by lounging out. 

“Chad, sit up or the others can’t join us. “ Jane scolded, as Carlos pushed himself from the couch to stand beside it, unsure as to where he should sit. He had no intention of joining the four on the couch; from the looks of it, Chad and Lonnie spread themselves across Jane and Doug in an attempt to take over the couch, causing a quiet bickering between the four. He was hesitant to join the others on the floor, either, which left him standing awkwardly. 

“Here, C, I’ll get us chairs. One or two?” Gil’s voice startled him from beside him, and he turned to look at the blond a moment while he thought on the question. 

“Two.” Gil nodded, dragging two chairs close enough to see the large television before gesturing for Carlos to pick one. Seating himself in the one furthest from the group, he settled into the cushion with a soft sigh, already a bit overwhelmed. He glanced over as Gil leant towards him, giving him a curious look as the blond offered him a smile. 

“We don’t have to stay for the whole movie if you don’t want to.” Carlos smiled at that, reaching to squeeze Gil’s hand before shifting to curl up in his chair, letting his gaze settle on the pile of people curled up together on the ground. He wondered when they had all gotten together- on the Isle, he and the others had been close, bordering something dangerously close to a relationship, and he wondered what had been the tipping point once the others had left. Had it been the fear of a new place? Comfort in familiar people? Or had it been because he was gone, had he been the one holding them back? The first two options were completely viable and not unheard of. The last...even the thought of the last sent a twinge of pain through him, the same pain he felt whenever Jay made an inside joke with Mal and Evie and Ben. The same pain that settled over him whenever Evie gave him a pitying look or Mal hesitated to reach near him. The pain that reminded him that they had moved on and left him behind, had all but replaced him with Ben. He wanted to hate Ben, hate the king for taking his friends, for leaving him behind, for fitting in seemingly effortlessly in the dynamics of the three Isler’s turn Auradonian. He wanted to despise the seemingly always optimistic teen but...he couldn’t bring himself to. Ben had, after all, gotten them all off the Isle; he was trying to help. 

His eyes trailed across the group to land on Evie, his lips quirking upwards slightly at the sight of the girl who had once been his best friend. She looked healthier, lighter and full of energy with an undeniable happiness hanging over her that made her shine. He had always suspected that Evie would easily fit into the sparkling world of Auradon, and he was pleased to see he was right. He couldn’t bring himself to begrudge her finding her place, but the hurt that had settled over him the past six months wasn’t so easily shaken. Beside her, Mal lay with her head in the blue haired girls lap, muttering things too quiet for Carlos to hear from his spot on his chair. Mal certainly had an air of ease about her in Auradon that she hadn’t had on the Isle, no doubt the pressure of punishment from her mother lessened while the woman was still trapped on the Isle. She had been overwhelmed with a different sort of pressure, of being under Aurdon’s watchful eye for being publicly with the King, but even that had seemed to lessen since their return from the Isle. She had a softness to her now that suited her, and while it still bothered him that she had thought she could simply waltz back into his life as though nothing happened, he could acknowledge that she was making an effort. 

“Turn off the lights, Ben.” Chad’s request was more of a whine, and Carlos couldn't help but roll his eyes as Ben clapped his hands twice, the lights automatically dimming. Carlos let his eyes adjust to the sudden darkness before he turned his attention to where Jay sat between Ben and Evie, his back pressed against the arm of the couch behind him as he flicked pieces of popcorn at Doug and Chad on the couch. He had forgiven Jay in what felt like a ridiculously small amount of time compared to the others, though he had always felt something...different, he supposed, for Jay. Even before they were friends, when Maleficent had sent them off to retrieve her staff, he had felt differently about Jay than he had anyone else. Even with all of Jay’s teasing and tormenting while they had been at Dragon Hall, Carlos had noticed the almost gentle way Jay handled his belongings before shoving him into a locker. It had felt natural to wake up in Jay’s arm after his nightmare earlier, as natural as waking up with Gil felt, and he knew that there was no possible way he’d be able to remain upset with Jay any longer, especially knowing just what sort of perverse things Jafar could do. He could understand wanting to escape that fully, and it made it harder to be mad at the older boy for leaving. 

“Did I miss the movie?” Carlos’ eyes shot to the door of the bedroom to where Dizzy had peeked her head in, watching as Ben gestured her into the room with a smile, inviting her to join them. She scurried in, pausing between where Evie sat with the others and where Carlos’ chair sat, giving the older boy a curious look before glancing down at Evie, clearly conflicted. Carlos offered her a small smile, patting the empty section of his seat, and Dizzy grinned before wiggling her way onto the chair with him. “Carlos! I haven’t see you since we came over, are you okay? Everyone's been saying you’re recovering and I shouldn’t bug you but I wanted to know, I should have slipped away from Auntie Ella’s to come to see you!” Carlos gave a slight wince at Dizzy’s nickname for her aunt, the words identical to what both his cousins called his mother whenever they were around. 

“Im okay, Diz. I wouldn't have wanted you to get into trouble by sneaking off just to see me, and besides I’ve been sleeping a lot lately so odds are you’d have just sat around watching me sleep. How are you settling into Auradon?” They kept their voices low as the movie played, and Dizzy gave him a wide grin as she shifted slight to press against his side. 

“Oh it’s just like I always imagined it would be, Carlos! My aunt’s a real princess and my cousin’s a prince and Auntie Ella’s going to get Anthony brought over! It’s amazing here, the food is so good and everything’s so clean!” Carlos couldn’t help but chuckle at her enthusiasm, and Dizzy watched him for a moment before reaching to grasp his arm, giving him a soft look. “I feel a lot better knowing you’re okay, though. When the pirates kidnapped you and Ben...I was really scared they’d hurt you.” Carlos felt a twinge of guilt at that; he hadn’t meant to scare Dizzy with their plan, but it had happened. 

“I knew they were going to do it, Dizzy. I...we were trying to do a good thing in a bad way. And in the end my dumb plan didn’t even work.” Dizzy frowned, watching Carlos for a moment before shaking her head with a soft snort. 

“Well if it was your plan and it didn’t work someone must have messed it up. You’re plans always work.” Carlos chuckled at her seemingly absolute faith in his planning abilities, and beside him Gil looked over, curiously. “Either way, I'm really glad you’re okay and here.” Carlos reached to ruffle Dizzy’s hair, offering her a soft smile. 

“I’m glad you’re here too, Diz. Now why don’t we watch this movie and see if Auradon’s idea of romance is as ridiculous as I think it is?” Dizzy beamed, nodded and taking the popcorn offered to her as they returned their focus on the movie. 

-=-=-

“Harry, my boy. How are you doing then? Settling in okay?” The words were simple pleasantries and they both knew it; Harry had summoned his father to a video call for a specific reason, and Hook was interested in knowing what that reason was. 

“Settling fine, Da. They haven’t let us actually onto a ship yet so I’m not entirely sure what they hope to accomplish but here we are. How are you and the girls? I’ve petitioned for them to get sent here.” Hook nodded, stroking his chin lightly as he considered Harry’s question a moment. 

“The girls are fine. C.J’s already been accepted to go to Auradon, and Harriet will be heading your way soon. I’m handling things here, including the mess that deVil boy left.” Harry’s lips turned down into a frown, and Hook chuckled as he leant back in his seat, taking a moment to really look over his son. The kids hadn't been gone long at all, but already Harry looked stronger and healthier than he did on the Isle. He had certainly been upset to learn that his only son had taken off to Auradon without so much as a goodbye, but he appreciated that Harry was a man after his own intentions, going wherever the wind pulled his sail. 

“I know we left a bit of a mess, but Da c’mon. You’ve spoken with Jafar and Gaston, haven’t you? That shite wasn’t okay.” Hook hummed, completely in agreeance to his son’s assessment of the situation. 

“No, no I agree completely Harry. The boy had to leave the Isle, there was no doubt about that. I’ve recently gained further disturbing information in regards to Jafar’s absolute obsession with the lad and frankly the further he is from those two the better I think. Remember, my boy; there’s a difference between being what those on land consider a villain and what would be considered a monster, and Cruella, Jafar and Gaston have passed that line years ago. Jafar’s been watching the deVil boy longer than anyone would have anticipated.” Harry frowned, his hands curling on the desk before him (and Hook noticed the lack of ever present hook in his son’s hand) as he tried to take a moment to cool down. Hook had always been just shy of concerned about his son’s anger issues; Harry had been an even tempered babe before his mother’s passing -scurvy, and hadn’t that been a sting of irony- as as he grew so had his irrational quick temper and occasional downright rage. He was pleased to see his son attempting some sort of anger management, and waited patiently for Harry to speak his mind. 

“Pup’s had an awful lot to deal with before joining the crew. Uma and I want to make things better for the crew, for Pup and Gilly boy.” Hook noticed the visible slump of his son’s shoulders at the mention of the two other teens who had often spent days during the past six months in and out of both his home and the tackle shop, and he wondered where the two were. Uma he had assumed would most likely be in the girls dormitory as he had to assume co-ed dorms were not the norm for a herd of hormonal teenagers as they had been while he’d attended college, but the other two had no reason not to be in Harry’s room with him considering how the three had stuck together the past few months. 

“Where are your little shadows? I thought I’d at least see Gil with you, son.” Harry’s expression darkened some, and Hook watched the swell of anger roll over his son as he struggled to find his words. 

“They sent them to Auradon Prep. And I don't think they’re alright, Pup looks the same as he did on the Isle and Gil’s got this sad kicked dog look to him. Uma and I want to rescue them.”

And there it was. The entire reason his son had sent for a computer to be set up in their living room, the reason his second eldest had reached out to him. His son needed help planning a daring rescue, one that most likely had to be dealt with delicately if they wanted to be able to stay in Auradon. Leaning forward in his seat he gave his son a wide grin, gold incisor glinting in the light as he gave a small nod. 

“Then I suppose you’ll be wanting your old man’s help. Go on, tell me what you’ve gotten so far and dear old da will see what he can do.” Harry grinned, barely a hint of the manic child within, and Hook settled back in his chair as he began to take mental notes on Harry’s plan. 

After all, what sort of parent would he be if he didn’t help his son with his little rescue project?


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like the slowest moving plot line ever and Im sorry TAT It's a struggle because I have to keep reminding myself that this isn't just a Gaylos fic lol
> 
> Also we post without editing like men in this household!

“It’s completely unfair that you’re monopolizing his time, Jay. When he’s not in classes he’s either at his therapy sessions or he’s with you and Gil. How is he ever going to move forward with Mal and I if he’s never with us?” Evie’s voice was clear through the door, though Carlos wondered if she intended for him to hear her or if she assumed he was at his physiotherapy session instead of sitting at his desk with Gil, tutoring the boy in Algebra. He supposed she probably thought he was at the hospital; his appointment had been rescheduled for later in the day, an emergency surgery having called Dr. Sweet away and causing his appointment to be pushed forward four hours as he refused to deal with any other doctor. 

“I’m not doing whatever that means, E, I’m just trying to be there for him. You know, like we weren’t for six months? I can’t help it if we’re roommates and that makes us able to spend more time together. Besides, you’ve got a bunch of classes with him, why don’t you just ask him to do something with you guys?” Evie’s response was too quiet for Carlos to hear, and as he began to write out practice questions for Gil to work on he let his mind wander. Evie might have had a point; in the week after the movie night in Ben’s room, he had spent far more time with Jay and Gil than he had with the girls. Truthfully, he was still nervous around Mal after the grabbing incident- he knew she meant him no harm, but he also knew Mal’s temperament could switch as quickly as his own mothers and it made him nervous after all of the time they’d been apart, the trust they’d built between them that she wouldn’t lash out at him gone. 

Evie was a different matter altogether. He knew Evie would never hurt him physically, that the girl didn’t have a violent bone in her body, but he had put all of his trust in her to the point that he would have, at the point of her leaving the Isle, considered her his best friend. He knew he couldn’t blame her for leaving, blame any of them for leaving when he knew how terrible things on the Isle were, but he couldn’t bring himself to fully forgive her for seemingly forgetting about him. He knew that they had their reasons; he and Jay often had hushed conversations in the middle of the night when Carlos couldn’t sleep about it, and while somewhere inside of him he had forgiven them at least somewhat, it still hurt. She had been his first friend, the first person to show him kindness, and her leaving had felt like someone ripping off a limb.

“I try to. He’s always busy, or he just stares at me like he doesn’t know what to do with the invitation, and then I feel like I’ve offended him in some way. I just want to be with him and have him know how sorry I am…I just want him to forgive me.” Jay gave a sigh, as heavy as the silence that fell between them, and Carlos took the moment to glance over the work Gil had done on his practice sheet, giving him an encouraging smile as the blond looked up at him. 

“When he forgives you is up to him, E. But we both know that the more you push with him, the less he wants to do with you- you have to let him come to you. Stop trying to force it. I’ll ask him about doing something with you, but I’m not gunna force him or guilt him into it okay?” Their conversation fell into murmurs, and Carlos let his attention refocus on Gil as he slid the now finished sheet towards him. 

“You know you don’t have to forgive them.” Carlos gave Gil a look, tapping the pen he held against the table for a moment.

“It’s rude to eavesdrop, Gil.” There was no heat behind the statement and Gil wrinkled his nose as Carlos gave a sigh, shaking his head slightly. “Jay’s been putting in actual effort to make things right Gil. And Evie and Mal are trying, and I know that the right thing to do is forgive them but...it’s harder to forgive them than it is to forgive Jay. I don’t know why.” A frown pulled at his lips, and Gil hummed, reaching to close his book.

“Because you were never close to Mal, not really. Not like you were the other two. Anyone could see it when they were still on the Isle. And Evie was your best friend, right? It must have hurt a lot when she left and never came back. I don’t blame you for having a hard time forgiving her. And we all know you’ve had a soft spot for Jay since you met him, C.” He teased the last bit, causing Carlos to roll his eyes before he began to mark the worksheet with small precise ticks. 

“Everyone keeps telling me I should forgive them though. It’s not like they asked specifically for me to get left behind, and they were busy when they got here, things were crazy...but like. Okay. So I’m supposed to forgive them, because it’s the right thing to do. But I don’t feel ready to yet and wouldn’t the right thing to do be leaving me alone if I’m not ready for that?” Each tick came a little faster as Carlos began to glare at the paper, his fingers tightening on the pen in his hand as he continued. “I’m getting really tired of everyone telling me when I should be ready to do things. I thought I left that behind on the Isle. All the doctors think I should be ready to let them do surgery on my leg to fix the muscle damage from the bear trap but I’ve been living with it for almost ten years, it’s not like it’s hindering me. And Fairy Godmother and Ben say I shouldn’t avoid other students anymore, that I should be ready to mingle and make friends but…” he frowned as his pen ripped through the paper slightly, and Gil reached out to still his hand, curling his fingers around Carlos’ own and squeezing gently. 

“But you’re not ready for that yet. They can’t force you to make friends, or do anything you don’t want to here Carlos. That’s the whole point of Auradon right?” Carlos shook his head, grabbing Gil’s hand to pull it towards him to kiss his knuckles before closing his eyes as he tried to release the sudden ball of anxiety in his chest. 

“They could send me back. Or worse; they could send you back, Gil. Us being here is determined on our behavior and growth, and if we don’t perform to their liking they can deem us un-savable and send us back.” Gil frowned, though before he could respond the dorm door opened to a confused Jay who glanced at the clock. 

“Hey, guys. I thought you had physio, C? Did something happen?” Carlos gave a small shrug as Gil squeezed his hand, and Jay closed the door behind him with a small sigh. “I guess you must have heard me and Eve’s, huh? Sorry about that.” Carlos gave another shrug, and Jay frowned, making his way to the desk to lean against it. “You know it’s not really your fault she’s upset right? She just has a lot a guilt about what happened and she’s not going to forgive herself unless you forgive her first. If you decide to, which is totally up to you?” Carlos took a moment to study Jay, who rubbed his neck sheepishly under the scrutiny. 

“You know, you’ve been incredibly understanding in all this. It’s...weird.” Jay snorted as Carlos leant back in his seat, brow raised as the older teen gave a half shrug, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I mean, I probably would have been a lot like Evie about this if Coach didn’t have me going to therapy...he was worried about impulse control issues when I joined the team, and I gotta admit it’s definitely helped. We uh. Talk about you and what happened a lot. My therapists been really good at helping me look at things from other people’s point of view. And...I can get why you’d not wanna forgive us, cause from where you’re standing it totally looks like we just abandoned you.” He fell silent, his gaze heavy before he gave a half hearted shrug. “And we want to make it better but it’s not up to us to decide when you’re ready to. No one should be trying to make you do things if you aren’t ready for them, C.” Carlos continued to study him a moment before reaching to curl his fingers in the fabric of Jay’s shirt with the hand not holding Gil’s before pulling him close enough to rest his forehead against the older teens stomach. 

“Thank you.” He murmured, shivering slightly as a warm hand pressed lightly to the back of his neck as his fingers curled into the older boys shirt tighter. “I don’t get why it’s so much easier to forgive you. You all left, and you’re all making an effort to try and make it better between us, but I’d really rather watch movies with you and Gil here in the dorm than do any of the things Mal and Evie want to do.” Jay hummed, his fingers moving along Carlos’ neck to scratch lightly over his scalp, making the younger teen tilt his head into the sensation with a pleased noise. 

“I don’t know, dude. But I’m pretty thankful that you’re willing to forgive me at all. And I’m really happy you decided to stay, Gil.” Beside them, the blond looked up, a surprised expression on his face. “Dude. I like you. You’re cool and pretty fun to hang out with. And you make Carlos happy so...I want us to be good. Yeah?” Gil nodded, and Carlos gave a little huff, turning his face slightly to press his nose into the firm expanse of Jay’s stomach. 

“God your abs are just...so very there, aren’t they.” Carlos murmured, causing Jay to snort as Gil snickered beside him. 

“I mean they are attached to the rest of my body, yeah. Do you have to go to physio still?” Carlos nodded, pulling his face from Jay’s stomach with a sigh as he glanced towards the clock. 

“Yeah, I should head out in a few minutes. Sweet had an emergency surgery come up, so my appointment got pushed back. “ He pushed himself from his seat, stretching as he turned to look for his jacket as Gil began to tidy up his homework from the desk.

“Do you want me to go down and wait for your drive with you?” Jay asked as Carlos tugged his coat free from under the pile of pillows he’d found it under before pulling it on. Glancing at Jay, Carlos smiled before moving to stand before him, giving him a look for a long moment before reaching to cup his face between his hands, offering him a soft smile. 

“No, it’s okay. Maybe you can take Gil to do something while I’m gone?” Jay nodded, and Carlos hesitated a moment before shifting up on his toes, pressing his lips to Jay’s sweetly before pulling away to go to the door, his cheeks flushing. “And maybe you can let Evie know that if she wants to do something with me, I want to see the gardens Ben mentioned when we first got to the school? And I never turn down food.” Jay nodded, a slightly dazed look on his face as Carlos moved to press a kiss to Gil’s forehead before disappearing out the door to head down to where the car to take him to the hospital was waiting. Jay moved to sit on his bed, reaching to touch his lips almost awed as Gil gave a chuckle from where he sat putting his books away into his bookbag. 

“He’s been having less nightmares whenever he’s slept in your bed, so I’m going to let this...this, happen. But I need you to know that I’m not going away, either.” Gil’s voice was firm as he moved to put his bag near his bed, moving to sit on the cushiony mattress as he faced Jay with a serious look on his face. “You need to consider what you want with him really hard, okay? If you’re already with Mal and Evie and the king I want you to really think about what you’re doing with him, Jay. You guys already hurt him so bad, and with everything our dads have done to him...I just want him to be happy, because he’s the only person to make me feel like I’m more than I am, you know? And I’m not going to let you or anyone else hurt him again.” They sat in silence for a long moment as Jay contemplated Gil’s words, before he tilted his head, watching the other teen curiously. 

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Gil wrinkled his nose, turning to lay on his bed as he pulled a pillow onto his chest to wrap his arms around. 

“Everyone keeps sayin’ that like it’s some big huge secret they’re just figuring out. I followed him here, didn’t I? I left my crew. Of course I’m in love with him.” He scowled at the ceiling before turning to look at Jay, studying him a minute before letting out a small huff. “But he’s always going to have loved you first. And he’s always going to love you, I think. More than me, more than the girls or Harry or anyone who could ever capture even an ounce of his attention. Because there’s something about you that makes people pay attention, yeah, but there’s also...it’s like…” He made a noise of frustration, trying to piece the words together. “The last time he had a nightmare back on the Isle, right before you guys came back, he woke up screaming your name, crying for you to help him. You’d been gone six months and you’d hurt him so bad but he still dreamt about you. I can’t...I can’t compete with that.” Silence fell over the room, draping over them like a heavy blanket before Jay cleared his throat, causing Gil to glance over at him. 

“He loves you, too. At least as far as I can tell. He’s so...gentle with you. I’ve never seen him like that with anyone. So don’t...don’t sell yourself short dude. And I know you aren’t going anywheres, I sort of...I don’t want you to. Not just because you make Carlos happy, but because you deserve to be happy too. I want you here, and I like that we’re getting along. I like you. And if things between Carlos and I get more serious, I know you’re still gunna be here too. I think we should just let things work themselves out, to be honest. Don’t push anything, just...let shit happen. Can we do that?” Gil nodded, and Jay flashed him a grin as he nodded towards the t.v. “Good. You wanna kill some zombies?” Gil grinned, pushing himself up to stand against before heading towards the couch, tossing a smirk at the other teen. 

“Dude. I was born ready!”


	14. Chapter 14

The door wasn’t anything to be intimidated by. Solid oak with a dark stain, it sat heavy in its door frame, a sturdy barrier to the room within. It hadn’t taken much to find it; the naval academy was laid out in almost a grid that was easily navigated once you knew your way around, and as former residents of the Isle and quick studies, both Uma and Harry had the layout pretty much memorized. The door lead into what acted as a reception area for the students who were sent onto ships- the ancient gentleman who worked the desk providing them with their assignments and keeping track of which ships were docked in port at all times with the large book the rarely left his sight. The book was their goal; the book would lend them the information they’d need to steal a ship to rescue their friends. 

“Harry, we’re going to get caught. Let’s just wait til morning and request leave to visit them, I’m tired and this plan is ridiculous.” Uma’s tone was quietly unimpressed as they stood outside the door, and Harry turned to look at his captain with a frown. 

“Are you going soft on me then, Captain? I thought we decided that the only way we can be sure they’re okay is to go get them? Da even made a plan for us.” His frown deepened as Uma’s expression darkened some, the smaller girl reaching to curl a fist in Harry’s shirt to pull his face level with her. 

“You’re an idiot and I regret letting you even consider your dads stupid plan. He just wants you to get him off the Isle Harry. If we steal a boat, the Admiral will court martial us right back to the Isle. Then the rest of our crew will never get brought over. Neither will your sisters. We’re not doing this.” Harry hesitated, his hand hovering over the handle of the door as his brow furrowed at her words. “Not to mention the books probably not even there since Grimsby has it practically sewn to him.” Silence settled between them as Uma waited for a response, her frown deepening as Harry’s hand remained just above the handle. “Gil and Pup would be disappointed in you.” It was a low blow, but enough to make Harry’s hand drop and for the boy to turn to her, brows furrowed in anger. 

“Well what would you have us do? Sit around and wait for them to allow us to go make sure Gil and Carlos are okay? Who knows how long that could take, and who knows how quickly Mal and her cronies are going to try to sweep in on them? Trying to claim them again? They’re ours, not theirs!” His voice rose with the proclamation, and Uma clamped a hand over his mouth with a sharp look as she glanced down the hall.

“Shut it, Harry, or we’re going to get caught. They’re probably fine, I doubt king goodie twoshoes would let anything happen to them, okay? We need to be smart about this. If we try to steal a ship and get caught, they’re going to send us back. And what if they don’t catch us and we get to Auradon Prep and Gil and Carlos are fine and don’t need to be rescued? We’d have shit the bed then, the academy wouldn’t have us back.” Harry’s expression sank, and Uma’s softened some. “I’m sure if we explain the situation, Prince Eric will understand. He’s been...really nice about everything.” Harry let out a huff, but allowed Uma to steer him back towards the dorms. 

“Alright. But if he says no, I’m looking into other options.”

-=-=-

“The gardens expand for almost the entire length of the sciences building. I think Ben said that the botany club is responsible for it?” Carlos watched as Evie twirled a daisy in her fingers, taking in her relaxed posture as she leant against one of the tall oak trees in the small clearing the three had settled in. Mal lay across the blanket spread out under them, tossing an apple back and forth between her hands as she lay with her head in Evie’s lap. Carlos’ attention drifted from the two girls to the lush greenery surrounding them, a small frown colouring his expression as Evie continued to explain the garden around them. “There’s a vegetable garden at the opposite end from us that the agriculture club maintains, which is pretty cool. Anyone can grab something fresh from there if they want. It’s all really-”

“-awful. People in Auradon get as much fresh food as they want, whole gardens that are just for fun while we starved on the Isle. How are you not outraged about it?” Carlos’ tone was curt as he cut Evie off, his brows furrowed as he stared at the food spread out around them on the blanket. “Our parents are villains. We know that. But that doesn’t excuse non-livable conditions. Even prisons had three meals a day, before Adam created Auradon. Doesn’t he know children are starving? Doesn’t he care?” Evie and Mal exchanged a look as Mal sat up, both turning to face Carlos properly. 

“He’s been made aware of the situation on the Isle since we came over, yeah. And Ben’s trying to make it better, but that stuff takes time, Carlos.” Carlos fell silent for a moment, picking at the grass beside the blanket where he sat as he took in Mal’s words, carefully rolling them over in his mind. 

“In six months, the only thing that’s changed is that the Isle gets even less food than before. There’s been no improvements. There’s been nothing but an embargo and a lot of angry, frustrated adults taking their shit out on kids.” Mal sighed, and Carlos shot her a look. “People are starving. Kids are dying because they can’t get enough to eat. The only reason I didn’t starve was because Jafar and Gaston gave me food.” He dropped his gaze some, frustrated at the admittance. “Can’t have the energy to fuck if your starving, I guess.” Both Mal and Evie winced, and he shrugged. “Not to mention the soil is so beyond destroyed that there’s no way anyone can plant anything or grow their own food. There’s barely any animal’s left on the island so you can’t hunt anything. All we ever get is leftover trash and it’s inhuman. We deserve to be able to eat.” Mal shot Evie a look before reaching out to lightly touch Carlos’ arm, concern washing over her as she watched the way Carlos curled into himself some as he ranted. 

“Ben’s trying to fix things, I promise. But you don’t...Carlos, you aren’t there any more. You’re not on the Isle. You won’t starve here in Auradon, I promise. You’re okay here.” Carlos stared at the hand on his arm, biting his lip as he let the words settle over him. 

“Yeah, but for how long? How long are the adults here going to let me stay? I’m not like you, Mal. I’m not like Evie, or Jay, I’m not going to be able to just settle in and be okay, like nothing ever happened. Because guess what? I’m not okay. I’m really not okay and people have to accept that because all of the therapy in the world isn’t going to change the fact that I’m not okay right now. You guys keep talking about how things take time, things take time, but you all expect me to just be better already and it doesn’t work like that. It can’t work like that when I wake up in the middle of the night and mistake Jay for Jafar. When Gil tilts his head a certain way, says something in just the wrong tone and all I can see is Gaston. When I can still feel my mothers fingers around my throat, hear her laugh in my ears and choke on the scent of her cigarette smoke. You keep saying you want to fix us, but what you don’t want to admit is that you really just want to fix me. “ Silence settled over them as Carlos brought his knees to his chest, sitting heavy over them before Evie gave a soft sigh. 

“We expect too much from you, and that’s not fair. I admit that we’ve been trying to treat you like the Carlos we knew before we came to Auradon and that’s unfair of us. I’m sorry we-no, I’m sorry I didn’t try to see that you’ve changed since then. Six months is a long time, and you’ve been through too much for us to expect you to be the same. I’m sorry, Carlos.” Carlos glanced up at Evie, giving her a small nod before tilting his head to look at Mal as she cleared her throat nervously. 

“I never expected you to just be okay, C. I was just so...mad at myself. Mad that we left you there and mad about what Cruella did and what Gaston and Jafar did and just...I was mad and that’s not an excuse. It’s not. I wanted you to be okay so that I wouldn’t have to be mad, and that’s not okay. I should never have tried to drag you out of that closed, C, and if I ever do or say something that makes you uncomfortable or upsets you please tell me. I wanted to get back to where we were before we left, but I realize now that’s not going to happen because none of us are the people we were six months ago.” Twisting the corner of the blanket between her fingers, Mal gave Carlos a hopeful look. He chewed the inside of his cheek, thinking over her words. 

“I want to work through all this. I really do. I know you guys are trying to make amends and I want to be able to forgive you. And I’m willing to...forgive the closet incident since you’ve apologized for it.” Mal’s smile grew, and Carlos hesitated before reaching out to slip his hand into Mal’s. 

“Thank you. That’s all I can really ask.” Mal’s voice was soft as she laced their fingers together, and Evie shifted to slowly lean against Carlos’ side, laying her head on his shoulder with a soft smile. 

“I’m really happy you’re here, C.” Carlos smiled, tilting his face upwards to look towards at the blue, sunny sky above them. 

“Me too. Even after everything...I missed you guys a lot. Don’t get me wrong, Uma’s crew took me in and I’m incredibly grateful they did. I adore Gil, and I care for Uma and Harry, even if I’m still mad at Uma for the shit she pulled right before Jasper grabbed me on the Isle. But they never replaced you guys, or how I felt about you.” The trio sat in silence a moment, Evie reaching to curl her fingers around the wrist of the hand holding Mal’s as Carlos took a slow, steadying breath. 

“We love you, Carlos. I want you to know that. And if I have to spend every day from now until forever proving how much we love you and how sorry we are, I will. I promise.” Carlos hummed slightly at Evie’s words, a small part of him pleased at the promise even as a thought crossed his mind. 

“What’s Ben going to think about that?” He asked, genuinely curious. Evie pulled back slightly with a half formed frown, brows furrowed almost delicately at the question, and Mal snorted.

“Ben already knows how we feel about you, Carlos. He’s known since before I went back to the Isle and he understands that no matter what how we feel isn’t going to change. It doesn’t bother him.” Carlos frowned, his fingers flexing slightly in Mal’s grasp as he considered the information. 

“I’m not sure how I feel about this. Obviously I care about the two of you and Jay, even after everything. But I also care a lot about Gil. I’m not going to just abandon him because the three of you want to try something. And I don’t know where Ben fits in to all of this. It’s...pretty confusing to be honest. And I’m more physically comfortable with Jay, but I want to hold hands with the two of you too.” He chewed his lower lip, letting out a soft sigh as Evie reached to brush his hair out of his eyes. 

“We’re not going to push or rush you, C. I promise. If you only ever want to hold hands with us we aren’t going to be mad. We’re lucky you’re even letting us back into your life at this point and I for one will take whatever you’re willing to give. Okay?” Carlos tilted his head slightly to look at Evie before giving her a small smile, nodding. “And if having you with us means you’re still with Gil too, we’ll work it out.” Mal nodded enthusiastically, squeezing his hand. 

“Whatever you’re comfortable with, Carlos. Besides, I think Jay and Gil already formed some sort of bond over you and Tourney so good luck getting rid of Jay.” Carlos chuckled, andMal beamed at him. 

“Now I packed an entire picnic- why aren’t we eating?”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer- I don't actually hate Chad, Audrey or Jane. I promise!

Gil sat on the bleachers watching the end of Tourney practice, his eyes following Jay as the other teen did laps around the field. Tryouts had been simple enough- the game was a lot like Hunter’s Tag on the Isle, which had made it easy for him to follow the rules even if the sport was a lot less physical. The coach had seemed enthusiastic, and had told him to come to the next practice with Jay, which Gil had taken to mean that he had gotten onto the team. The concept of a team was pretty simple, too- Jay had said it was okay if he didn’t really get it at first, but a team wasn’t much different than a crew, and he had lots of experience with one of those. He watched as Jay was joined by Ben, following their movement around the track before turning his attention to the group of players settled on the bleachers below him with several cheerleaders. 

“I hear he was the one who broke the barrier, not Mal. That he’s like, a mad scientist or something.” One of the cheerleaders- a pale faced girl with bright blue eyes and dark hair- spoke just loud enough for Gil to hear, her words catching his interest as he shifted a bit closer to the group. 

“I doubt he’s that smart, Jane. He barely even talks in class, and look at the guy he came over with. They’re probably both idiots.” Gil frowned at the comment made by the pretty darker skinned girl seated beside who he assumed was Jane. He was use to people calling him dumb; he knew he wasn’t always the most intelligent, but he was strong and loyal and Carlos often told him he was more than he thought. It did throw him off to hear someone call Carlos an idiot, though- as far as he knew, Carlos had been the smartest person on the Isle. The only person who had been able to keep up with him academically had been Reza, and even then the other teen had never been able to surpass Carlos’ grades. 

“Aubrey don’t be mean. I think he’s just shy, Mom says he does really good on written tests. Like, better than most kids from Auradon.” Jane chewed her lip, wrinkling her nose some as Aubrey and the boy seated next to her (his jersey said Charming but from what Gil had seen on the field he was anything but) scoffed. 

“He’s probably cheating, Jane. Don’t be so naive. Didn’t you hear how he even got over here? He’s a master manipulator if the stories are right.” Gil’s frown deepened as the boy continued talking, gesturing wildly with his hands as he spoke. “He was sleeping with Jafar and Gaston. He tricked them into fighting over him, then tricked Ben into ‘rescuing’ him. He’s probably plotting how to manipulate his way into taking over the kingdom!” The girls gasped, and the boy settled back against the bleacher seat behind him with a smug look. “He’s just a manipulative whore, according to my dad. Just like his mother. He’s even got Jay and that blond buffoon wrapped around his finger, it’s ridiculous.” Gil’s hands shook as he pushed himself from his seat, the group looking up at him in surprise as he stomped down the bleachers towards them. 

“Shut up.” The girls shrank back at the fierceness in his tone of voice and the fury written across his face, the stiff way he stood on the bleacher seat above them. The boy barely cast a glance his way before scoffing, waving Gil off with a carefree huff. 

“Oh, speak of the guard dog and he appears. Is it true deVil was sleeping with both Jafar and Gaston at the same time? That’s disgusting.” Gil’s fists tightened at his side as he took a step towards the other boy, the two girls scooting away some as they watched, mortified. 

“Stop talking about Carlos like that. And stop talking about things you don’t know, you don’t know anything about the Isle and what you gotta do to survive there.” The boy rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the seat to stand before Gil, arms crossed over his chest as he stared him down. 

“I know that nothing could be so bad that I’d sleep with two villains. Like I said, disgusting. Though I guess he must be at least a little intelligent since he’s here and they’re still on the Isle. Though if he’s not careful he’s going to wind up back there, he’s more weird than Jay and the girls were. That kids not right in the head.” Gil lunged towards the boy, grasping the front of his shirt to pull him close with a snarl.

“Shut. Up. Carlos is the furthest thing from disgusting. He’s smart and sweet and deadly, and I’m not going to let you sit here and say those awful things about him. I’ll rip your tongue out and shove it so far up your ass you can taste your own lungs before I bury you in those woods over there.” Gil’s voice was dark, a deadly softness to him that caused the other boy to still in his grasp, eyes wide. 

“Gil! Gil, let Chad go. Whatever he said isn’t worth detention.” Gil started at Jay’s voice behind him, releasing his hold on the boy (Chad, his brain supplied at Jay’s words) and taking a step back. A hand dropped onto his shoulder, pulling him back a step more before turning him to properly face Jay and Ben, both watching him in concern. 

“He was saying horrible things about Carlos.” Gil’s words were murmured almost too low to hear, though Jay tossed a glare at Chad as he began to steer Gil away from the group. 

“Chad doesn’t know Carlos. And C wouldn't want you getting in shit because someone was mouthing off, right?” Gil remained stoically silent as Jay lead him away, his fists still curled at his side as the ex-thief guided him away from the field towards the dorms. 

“He’s not the only person talking about Carlos like that. People think that just because I’m not the smartest in school I don’t notice things, but I do. People are talking about what Jafar and my dad had arranged with Cruella like C had any choice in it, and it makes me so mad. It makes me want to hurt them because they shouldn’t talk about things they don’t know.” Gil relaxed his fists as they entered the building the host the dorms, and Jay let out a sigh as he grasped the blonds shoulder, pulling him to a stop by the stairs. 

“I get it, dude, I really do. People were shit talking us when we got here too. But you’re being watched like crazy here, we all are. You can’t just attack people here like you can on the Isle, Fairy Godmother will shit a brick and do evil knows what. You gotta keep your cool, dude.” Gil took a deep breath, focusing on the warmth of Jay’s hand on his shoulder to center him some. 

“I want to take care of him here. He spent the whole time he was with us on the Revenge taking care of us, and I want to do that for him. But there’s so many rules here, Jay, and I can’t just figure out how I’m supposed to take care of him here.” Shrugging off Jay’s hand, Gil let out a sigh as he started up the stairs. “I can’t just drag him up to the crows nest to watch the stars when he’s had a bad day, and I don’t know what to do.” Jay hummed as he followed, a thoughtful look on his face as they made their way up to the dorm room. 

“Why don't you bring him up on the roof? You can go up there from the window, there’s a bit of a slant to the roof but it’s not too bad. We use to go on the room of Hell Hall on the really bad days, I think it helped some.” Gil gave Jay a curious look, watching a moment as the other teen moved to sit on his bed. 

“Jay...can I ask you something without you getting mad?” Jay glanced over at Gil, brow furrowed slightly as he gave a nod for him to go on. “Jafar use to make Carlos wear this red outfit. It was all see through and stuff. Did he ever make you wear something like that?” Jay shook his head, and Gil sighed as he settled onto his own bed. “I’ve been trying to understand why our dads went so crazy over Carlos. I mean...he’s attractive and smart and funny and super nice but my dads never been interested in a teenage boy, you know? And I don’t get why Jafar was so obsessed with keeping him inside and practically chained up. He made him call him Sultan too which was weird?” Jay’s lips tilted into a frown, and he shifted to face Gil and pull him right leg up to his chest as he rested his chin on his knee.

“He tried to make the Sultana do that back when he tried to take over Agrabah, too. Maybe he see’s C as a sort of Jasmine replacement? He’s almost the same age she was, he’s smart and sassy like she was. And I’ve never seen a red sheer outfit but I know he still has the harem outfit he made her wear and that sounds like what you described. Carlos is kinda like Belle, so maybe that’s why your dad likes him. Wasn’t Belle like super smart and stuff?” Gil nodded, and Jay laid back on his bed as he continued. “She’s really nice, and pretty too. Carlos is a lot like her now that I’m thinking about it. So maybe our dad’s were using him as a replacement?” Gil took a moment to contemplate the idea- it made sense, especially when his father had never shown any interest in anyone besides Belle and his mother as long as he’d been alive. 

“I mean it makes sense yeah. I dunno, I was just curious I guess...I think I’m gunna take a shower. Harry and Uma said they’d call in a bit so can you listen for the computer in case I’m still in the shower?” Jay gave a thumbs up, already focused on a handheld gaming system Gil hadn’t even noticed he had pulled out of his side table, and Gil gathered some clean clothes and made his way into the bathroom. 

He wasn’t sure about his dad and whatever he’d thought about Carlos, but he was glad the older man was still locked on the Isle.

-=-=-

“Mr. DeVil, please. It’s really a simple procedure, Dr. Sweet really doesn’t have to be present for it.”

“I would really rather he was, though. He said he’d be here.” 

The sterile white walls of the examination room he sat in made everything too bright under the fluorescent lights, the steel table he sat upon cold even though the sheet of sterile paper covering it. He’d been in the room for almost three hours by his calculations, and he was beginning to get antsy as doctors made their way in and out, checking charts and running tests. He had been informed- after undressing and putting on the thin blue gown that the nurse had shoved into his hands before scurrying out of the room- that Sweet wasn’t available for his appointment. He had tried to leave twice, each time being manhandled by a muscular orderly back into the room with firm spoken words of ‘not yet buddy’ and ‘just a bit longer alright?’. 

“He was unable to make the appointment, Mr. deVil. I really don’t understand what the problem is, every doctor in this facility is more than qualified to take care of you. I don’t believe your refusal to been seen by anyone but Dr. Sweet is healthy, and frankly I’m not sure I’m comfortable sending you back to the school right now if you’re going to become belligerent over it.” Dr. Wilson’s attitude reminded Carlos strongly of Jafar, as though the man knew better than he did what was right for Carlos. Carlos’ fists curled into his lap as he stared at the blue tiled floor below him, his eyes following the pattern as he pressed his lips tightly together, unwilling to look at the man currently speaking to him. 

“I don’t like you.” His words felt like they lacked force, and he cleared his throat before looking up the the man standing near the doorway to the room. He hated the way Wilson looked at him, as though he was beneath the doctor in every way. He hated the way the nurses whispered whenever Sweet wasn’t around, hated the way Wilson treated him as though he was less than any other patient in the hospital just because he hailed from the Isle. 

“Well you don’t have to like me, Mr. deVil. But you do have to let me fix your leg.” They had been arguing for nearly twenty minutes about his leg; Carlos had no intention of allowing the man to perform the minor surgery that would fix his limp, unwilling to have himself at such a disadvantage should things go tits up and he and Gil need to leave in a hurry. The man had been insisting that Carlos allow him to do the surgery, though Carlos suspected it was more for the prestige the man would gain for being the first doctor to do surgery on an Isler than any actual desire to help Carlos. 

“I don’t have to get the surgery if I don’t want to, you can’t make me get it.” Wilson heaved an angry sigh, reaching to pinch the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes closed for a long moment. Carlos debated slipping past the man, certain that he was faster than the doctor, but the idea slipped away as he noted the large orderly still hovering just outside the exam room door. 

“Actually, you’re a minor and with no legal guardian or parent that we can contact, a doctor at this facility is more than able to approve the surgery if it will benefit your physical well being. So yes, I in fact can make you get the surgery.” Carlos’ stomach dropped at the words, and he glanced around the room nervously as the older man moved to pick up a film page from the desk sat in the corner, placing it on the light box and turning it on. Carlos recognized the x-ray; they had already shown him the fracture in his tibia, nearly an inch long. “I know you’re a smart boy. You know this is a fracture, so why are you so against surgery to repair it?” Carlos edged back on the exam table, his back pressing against the wall as he turned his attention from the x-ray to the doctor. 

“You have to put me under anesthesia for a surgery like that. I don’t trust any of you- how do I know you aren’t going to kill me? That you’re not going to...to do something to me while I’m under? I’d be an idiot to let you put me at that disadvantage. No. I refuse to get the surgery.” Wilson frowned, turning slightly to gesture out the door, and the orderly moved to enter the room, approaching the table as Carlos scrambled to drop off of it, shoving it between himself and the two men. “Ben said that I have rights here! That I’m allowed to say no and no one can touch me!” His voice grew louder as panic settled in, sitting heavy in his stomach and pressing at his chest as his breathing became more difficult.

“Mr. deVil, you need to calm down please. No one here is going to hurt you.” Wilson’s hands moved up into a surrendering gesture, the orderly stilling as Carlos edged further towards the corner of the room, wild eyed and pale. 

“Where’s Ben? I want Ben to come in here.” The orderly took half a step forward and Carlos pointed at him, glaring. ”Hey! Don’t come any closer.” Quick hands darted out, grabbing a glass jar of cotton swabs to hold in position to throw, and Carlos let his fingers tighten as he let his gaze move between the two men. “Get me Ben. Now.” Wilson gestured for the orderly to follow him outside, giving Carlos a nod. 

“Alright, I’ll go and get the king. Michael here is going to stand outside of the room while I get him, just calm down.” Carlos watched as the two left the room, the door swinging closed behind them, and he let his arm drop some as he let out a shaky breath, leaning against the wall. He had thought he had escaped adults forcing him to do things when he’d left the Isle, though apparently he had been mistaken. He moved to sit in the corner of the room, his back pressed tight to the wall as he watched the door in silence, waiting for the doctor to return with Ben. He jumped when the door slammed open, his hands tightening around the container as he shifted to be able to throw it if he had to, though he relaxed as he spotted an infuriated Ben entering the room. 

“Carlos? Are you okay? We could hear you yelling down the hallway, is it okay if I come closer?” Carlos hesitated a moment before nodding, still maintaining his grasp on the container as he watched Ben slowly move closer. 

“I don’t want the surgery, Ben. Tell him I don’t have to have it.” Ben frowned, glancing from Carlos to the doctor who gave him an exasperated look before crossing his arms over his chest. 

“The surgery is probably going to help you in the long run though, I don’t understand why you don’t want it.” Carlos frowned, wrinkling his nose as Ben stopped in front of him and dropped to sit down, lowering the container into his lap as he watched Ben. 

“I don’t trust them. I don’t want to be unconscious around them.” Carlos’ words were quiet as he spoke, and Ben’s frown turned into a look of understanding as he held out a hand towards the younger teen. 

“I get that. And now that I know why you don’t want to have it, I’m sure we can convince Dr. Wilson that now is not the time for surgery.” He cast a hard look at the man, who shrank back some as he gave a nod. “Excellent. Where’s your clothes, Carlos?” Carlos shrugged, handing over the container to the king before allowing Ben to help him back up. 

“I don’t know, they took them when they made me change. I didn’t like that either.” Ben’s expression darkened into a scowl, and he turned to face Wilson as he raised a brow. 

“Then I think Dr. Wilson should go retrieve them for you.” The doctor nodded, backing out of the room as Ben turned back to Carlos with a gentle smile. “We’ll go back to the school and see about getting you a new appointment with Dr. Sweet sometime this week. Does that sound alright?” Carlos nodded, and Ben returned the gesture before taking a step back, giving him space as the doctor returned with Carlos’ clothing. Carlos took them, sneering at the doctor before taking a half step behind Ben as the king gestured the man out of the room, moving to follow him to give Carlos some privacy. Carlos reached out to grasp Ben’s sleeve, stopping him a moment. 

“Hey...thank you.” Ben tilted his head slightly before giving a nod, a wide smile on his face. 

“No worries, Carlos. I told you I’d make sure you were safe here, right?” Carlos nodded, flushing slightly as Ben winked before exiting the room, closing the door to give him some privacy. 

The adults weren’t much better in Auradon than they had been on the Isle, but at least Ben was around to keep them in line.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is like 85% more Gil than I had originally set out to do and I'm not even sorry.

The silence in the room was killing him. 

Ben had sent Jay a message alerting him to Carlos’ appointment going poorly, informing them that Carlos was fairly shaken from an incident with the doctor, and Gil had been distraught at the idea of something else bad having happened to his companion once more. Jay had gone to bring the girls up to speed, leaving Gil alone with his thoughts while he waited for Carlos to return to the dorm room. He had spent the past 45 minutes thinking about all of the ways he could hurt the people who had hurt Carlos- his father, Jafar, Cruella for sure, but also the kids who had been on the bleachers, talking about Carlos as though they knew anything about him, as well as whatever doctor had upset him. He wanted to punch something; preferably, the Chad boy, but he wasn’t particularly picky. The electric thrumming need for a fight buzzed under his skin, crawling over him like a familiar friend, his muscles aching with a need to do something. 

He knew he occasionally had anger issues. 

Not nearly as bad as Harry or Uma- his anger never quite becoming that explosion of rage his friends were nearly famous on the Isle for- but he had been known to lash out a time or two, a hot coil of anger roiling in his gut before seeking an outlet. Everyone in his family had the problem; his father and his brothers had often used him as a focal point to lash out on, and he himself had maimed a person or two during a bad day. He wasn’t proud of it, looking back on each incident now with a clear head, but he had always just assumed his anger issues stemmed from his family and pushed the thought of it aside. Now, though, he understood Harry’s desire to hurt someone for the sake of making them suffer. Chad Charming’s nasty sneer was burned behind his eyelids, his horrible words sitting heavy on Gil’s shoulders like the weight of the world had been dropped onto him. 

He had promised to take care of Carlos. 

Sure, the promise had mostly been to himself- Carlos was aware of it, but Gil couldn’t help but feel as though the younger boy might not fully believe him whenever he brought it up in conversation. He took his promise seriously, and though he had been able to keep most of the rumours and comments from reaching Carlos’ ears, he couldn’t help but worry that his friend might someday know what most of the campus had been saying about him. 

His thoughts were interrupted as his pocket buzzed, and he pulled out the phone Ben had insisted on getting for him (“It makes it easier for you to reach me if you need something” the king had said, pushing the phone into his hands) to look at the message in the screen. 

**Ben: Carlos is on his way to your guys room.**

The words made him relax slightly, glad to be kept in the know in regards to the younger teen, though the next message caused him to frown. 

**Ben: He’s really upset, heads up.**

The text came through moments before the door swung open, banging against the wall at the force of it as Carlos entered the room. Gil sat up, watching as Carlos slammed the door shut again, pausing to take a few deep breaths before the younger teen began to pace the room, fists clenching and unclenching at his side. 

“Hey C...uh, Ben said your appointment didn’t go well?” He was hesitant as he half crawled to the end of his bed, brows furrowed as he watched Carlos continue to pace. 

“Those doctors are just like my mom. No doesn't mean no to anyone on the Isle, why would I think people in Auradon would stop doing things just because I say no? The only difference between here and there is that here they say it’s for my own good. At least on the Isle people didn’t pretend I had a choice in what I had to do.” Carlos’ pacing picked up speed some, his hands moving almost subconsciously to tangle in his curls and pull as wide eyes stared at the floor. “I don’t know what the adults here want and none of them care what I want. I just want to be left alone, i want...Want…” he trailed off with a gasping breath as he stilled, and Gil slipped from his bed to stand hesitantly before the younger teen, shifting nervously on the balls of his feet as his hands hovered awkwardly, unsure if he should touch Carlos or if it would cause more trouble instead. 

“Hey, no, come in C. Deep breath, you’re okay. I’m right here, I’m not gunna let anyone try to make you do stuff. I promise.” Firm hands grasped loosely at Carlos’ shoulders as Gil frowned, trying to catch the younger teens attention as he rubbed his thumbs against Carlos’ collar in what he hoped was a soothing manner. 

“You can’t promise that though. We don’t know what the people here could want us to do, and some of them have magic, Gil. How are we supposed to fight magic when we couldn’t even fight our parents?” Gil’s frown grew as Carlos began breathing faster, beginning to curl into himself as he squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t know if I can do this, Gil. I don’t know if I can be here.” Gil’s stomach dropped at the admission; Carlos’ voice was small, lost sounding as his shoulders heaved. 

“What do you mean?” Gil’s hands rubbed along Carlos’ shoulders, ducking slightly to peer at the smaller teen’s face as he tried to figure out what to do. 

“I can’t do this.” Carlos whined, calloused hands reaching to grasp at Gil’s wrists. “I can’t do this, that doctor...Gil, I can’t. I want to go back to the Isle, where at least I know what to expect from people.” Pulling Carlos against him, Gil wrapped his arms around him and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

“No one says you have to, C. But...maybe we should talk about it? You’re the one that said we have a lot more opportunity here than on the Isle. There’s food and warm places to sleep and stuff here, it’s better than the Isle. But if you don’t want to be here? At the school? We should talk about it. I thought you liked classes and stuff?” Carlos pressed his face into Gil’s chest, his entire body practically vibrating as Gil waited for him to speak. 

“I like classes.” His voice was muffled as he spoke into Gil’s shirt, and the blond took a moment to steer them to Jay’s bed, settling them on it with the other boy continued speaking. “I like that there’s food that we don’t have to fight seventeen other kids for. I like that my moms not here. I like that I don’t have to go with your dad or Jafar whenever they want here, but...I don’t like how no one here says what they really mean. People pretend they want what’s best for you, but really they just want to feel like they’re better than you. Doctor Sweet wasn’t at my appointment today.” Gil frowned, letting Carlos lean into him as he rested his cheek on Gil’s shoulder, and gave his head a small shake. 

“Wasn’t your appointment with him though?” Carlos gave a nod, and Gil let out a huff. “Why wasn’t he there then? I thought keeping appointments was a big thing here, isn’t that what Fairy Godmother’s always saying when we’re late to class?” Carlos nodded, rubbing at his eyes as he let out a sigh.

“He had an emergency, I guess. I...might have freaked out some at the other doctor. It was embarrassing.” Gil nodded, and Carlos sighed heavily as he sank against him. “I know I’m making it into more of an issue that I need to. But I’m not stupid, Gil. I know what the good people of Auradon say about me. About what I had to do on the Isle. And even if they have no right to judge me, it still hurts. And it hurts that my...reputation could bring you down with me. You’ve got a chance for a better life here, I don’t want that to be taken away from you.” Gil fixed him with a look, and Carlos sighed as he pushed away from the older teen to sit up straight. 

“Carlos...it doesn't matter if I have a chance for a better life here if you aren’t here too. Cause I wouldn’t stay without you.” Carlos glanced up, brows furrowed at Gil’s words, and before he could interrupt Gil continued. “It wouldn’t feel right here without you, especially since you did so much to protect me on the Isle when I should have been protecting you. I know you made a deal with my brothers.You didn’t have to do that.” Carlos frowned, shifting slightly to put a bit of space between them.

“We protect each other, Gil. That’s what a-” he paused, chewing on his bottom lip as he fumbled with the words, “-relationship is. That’s...isn’t that what we have? Isn’t that what the people here would call what we are together?” Gil gave a small nod, and Carlos nodded back. “Good. Okay. So lets not-I don’t want to fight about this then. I just want to, I dunno. Not have to think about anything for a little bit? I don’t like the doctor. But you’re right...it’s better here than it is on the Isle. And the others are here and we’re all getting along, right? Staying here is the right thing to do?” Gil reached to take Carlos’ hand, lacing their fingers together carefully before pulling them to his lips, kissing Carlos’ knuckles. 

“You want a distraction?” He asked, and Carlos nodded, letting Gil pull him against the blond to settle in his lap. “Sometimes, I wanna connect every single freckle on you and see what sort of pictures it’ll make. I like that you’re half my size but can totally take me down if you wanted, it’s totally awesome. I kinda like Tourney? It’s sort of fun. Jay’s kinda cool now, so I’m going to say you can keep him. Ben’s neat, I like him. Can we keep him too? Harry and Uma are coming to visit! They called earlier.” Carlos’ eyes widened slightly as Gil continued to ramble, curling to press his face into Gil’s neck as he gave a small chuckle. 

“Don’t ever change Gil, okay?” Gil paused a moment before wrapping an arm around Carlos’ waist, grinning as he pressed a line of kisses down the other teen’s face, causing Carlos to snort in laughter. 

“I hadn’t planned on it!” The blond teased, and the two looked up as there was a knock on the dorm room door, it popping open to reveal a nervous Dizzy. “Oh,hey Dizzy. What are you doing here?” Dizzy offered a shy smile, entering the room and closing the door behind her as she cleared her throat, glancing from Gil to Carlos as the younger teen moved to crawl out of Gil’s lap to sit on the bed beside him. 

“Oh! Hi Gil. I was hoping that Carlos would be here, I wanted to come and say hi! I haven’t seen you since we got back from the Isle practically!” Carlos gave her a smile, gesturing for her to join them as he rubbed at his eyes some, taking a slow breath to steady himself before she joined them on the bed. 

“I know, I went to your room a few times to see if you were in but you were always out. Are you enjoying Auradon, Diz?” Carlos’ voice was soft as he spoke to the girl, and Gil settled back to let the two talk as he watched Carlos settle some. He zoned out as the two teens began to discuss fashion, allowing his mind to wander to his and Carlos’ discussion. He’d have to talk to Ben about this doctor; there was no way he was going to let Carlos go through whatever had made him so miserable that he had wanted to return to the Isle again. The king would have to deal with whoever had made the younger teen so upset, or Gil would be dealing with it himself. He would also have to make sure that Carlos wasn’t being harassed in classes; he hadn’t thought Carlos had known what the other students were saying about him, but clearly he had been mistaken. He’d also have to deal with Charming sooner than later- the royal had crossed a line, and Gil wasn’t about to let it go. Leaning to press a kiss to Carlos’ temple, he moved to get up, pleased when Carlos simply nodded as he excused himself before grabbing his phone and slipping out of the dorm room door.

He had some work ahead of him, but he didn’t mind.


	17. Chapter 17

“What are you doing about this, Benjamin Florian?” 

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose as Evie’s voice interrupted the silence of the room, the door to his office swinging open to bang into the wall with a thud as the blue haired beauty strode into the room, a furious expression on her face. He had been attempting to go over the quarterly budget, papers scattered over the table as his head swam in numbers, and though the girl seemed to be on a warpath he welcomed the interruption happily, setting aside the proposal he’d been reading to focus his attention on his companion. 

“About what, Evie? You’re going to have to be a bit more specific, my beautiful goddess of retribution.” He was use to Evie’s need to take issues head on; it was one of the things he loved about his partners that presented in each of the Isler’s in different ways. 

“I just heard about what happened at Carlos’ appointment. What is going to be done about that doctor?” Ben heaved a sigh as he folded his hands on the desk in front of him, watching Evie pace the office floor as she continued to rant. “It’s completely unacceptable, the way he’s been treated. Completely. And I know you know that.” She paused, placing her hands on his desk, and he gave her a soft smile as he gestured for her to take a seat. 

“I’m going to take care of it, Evie. You’re absolutely right- Dr. Wilson was completely out of line today and his behaviour is unacceptable. I’ll be taking care of the matter personally, and he will be disciplined for it.” Evie gave a nod, collapsing into the seat with a huff before she ran her hand through her hair, giving Ben a look. 

“So when is his royal highness going to grace our bedroom with his presence again?” Ben flushed slightly, and Evie shifted to lean forward in her seat, her expression softening some. “Ben, Mal and I haven’t seen you in days. Jay says he only sees you on the field and when you pick up Carlos for appointments. You need to take a break before you wear yourself out.” Ben sighed, resting his elbows on his desk as he put his face in his hand at Evie’s words. She had a point; he’d been so focused on both making sure the new Islers were settling in alright that he had fallen behind on most of his royal duties in the past few days, leaving him scrambling to play catch-up before the next Council meeting. 

“I know, I know. I’ve been so swamped, but that’s not an excuse. I promise I’m going to take tomorrow off and spend the whole day with you guys.” Evie shifted her chair closer, reaching out to grasp Ben’s hand in her own. 

“Your job is important, Ben. It’s a lot of work running Auradon, and I wish you’d let us help more. We’re going to be a major part of your court after graduation, we need to start preparing for that now.” He knew she had a point, and while he knew that the three of them could more than handle themselves a small part of him wanted to keep them out of the political eye for a bit longer. It was purely selfishness; he wanted to be the only one who got to see how brilliant and cunning they were, at least for a bit longer 

“I know. And we will once I handle the DeVil situation.” Evie wrinkled her nose, frowning at his words. 

“Ben, don’t call it that. That makes it sound like Carlos is a problem that you need to deal with. And he’s not, he’s….he’s hurt and scared but he’s not a problem.” Ben pushed himself up from his chair, moving to place his hands gently on Evie’s shoulders. 

“I didn’t mean it like that, Evie, of course he’s not a problem.” He leant to press a kiss to her hair, sighing. “I meant Cruella. Anita Radcliffe is insisting she get access to see her, but honestly I’m not too sure that would be a good idea. Cruella’s not stable at all, and she keeps demanding that we bring her Carlos.” Evie frowned, grasping Ben’s arm to tug him around the chair and down into her lap as he gave a deep sigh. “I really don’t know what to do about it, Evie. Technically she has rights as his parent, but because of the abuse I don’t feel like I should allow her to see him at all…” he trailed off, his distress evident as he twisted the ring on his finger. Evie wrapped an arm around his waist, pressing her cheek to his arm as she considered his words. 

“You should talk to Carlos about it, Ben. He’s never liked having things decided for him, and he likes you. I’d hate for you to make a decision for him that would turn him from trusting you. He needs more nice people in his life.” Ben hummed, and Evie pat his leg before shifting to get him to stand. “Alright. Two more hours of political work and then you’re coming to supper. Understood?” Her voice was firm, and he gave a nod before pressing a soft kiss to her lips. 

“If I’m not there by ten after send someone to fetch me.” Evie nodded, brushing her fingers through Ben’s hair with a smile before turning to disappear out the door. Ben heaved a sigh, turning to look at the pile of paperwork still untouched on his desk before moving to look out the window, eyes trailing over the grounds. He knew Evie had a point; he’d have to talk to Carlos about his mother sometime soon, no matter how little he wanted too. He personally didn’t like it when people dictated what he did himself, and he could only imagine how Carlos- whose entire life had been nothing more than being told what to do by everyone around him- felt. He wouldn’t be like the boys abusers, wouldn’t dictate what he thought was best for the younger teen. 

A knock on his office door startled him out of his thoughts, and he moved to sit at his desk once more before clearing his throat. 

“Come in.” The door opened slowly, as though the person pushing it was hesitant to enter the office, and Ben’s brows rose in surprise at the figure who entered the room. 

“Sorry to disturb you, Ben. I know you must be busy but I was wondering if you had a few minutes to talk?” Ben moved to stand, gesturing for the newcomer to join him at the desk. The door closed as the teen moved to take a seat, fidgeting slightly at the sudden attention the king gave him. 

“Of course. I’ll always have time for you, I promised didn’t I? What can I help you with, Carlos?”

-+-+-

“I don’t think he’s ever going to be okay with E and I like he is you, Jay.” Deft fingers stilled in their braiding at Mal’s discontent tone, Jay’s focus shifting from the complicated waterfall braid Mal had insisted on to the girl herself. 

“That was kinda random. Are we talking about Carlos? Is that who we’re talking about here?” Evie had gone to talk to Ben nearly half an hour before, texting that she was stopping in to help Doug and Lonnie with some things before they met up for dinner. The three had heard from the king earlier that Carlos’ appointment had gone poorly, and Jay had sat Mal down before she could storm to the hospital to take care of the doctor who had treated Carlos herself. 

“Of course we’re talking about Carlos, Jay. How am I supposed to make up leaving him behind if half the time he’s with me he’s on edge? I don’t know what to do.” Tying off the braid, Jay moved to sit in front of Mal, frowning slightly as he considered the girl’s words. He could see where she was coming from- Carlos did come across as much more on edge when he was around either of the girls, as though something specifically about female’s set him off. He had noticed it with Fairy Godmother and Lonnie as well, though Carlos seemed fine around the quieter girls in Auradon Prep. 

“Maybe he’s freaked out by strong women, Mal. Cruella’s had him terrified of her for years; if I had to deal with that all my life I think I’d be a little scared of women too.” Mal chewed her lower lip, dropping her gaze to her bedspread as she considered what Jay had said. 

“That’s fair, actually. I never really looked at it that way before. I mean all those therapy sessions Ben made us go to when we first got here covered a lot of stuff about that, about how our parents abuse could affect our interpersonal relationships and stuff. So...you think that’s why he’s having a harder time with us?” Jay gave a shrug, laying on the bed as he stared at the replica of the night sky under the barrier on the Isle Mal had painted above her bed. 

“It could be. Won’t know for sure unless we ask him though, right?” Mal nodded, and Jay shifted just enough to brush his hip against her leg. “We should probably wait to do that though. He’s had a pretty hard day from the sounds of it.” Mal let out a huff, and Jay grinned as the purple haired girl flopped down against his stomach, curling onto her side and reaching to snag some hair that hung over Jay’s face to give it a tug. 

“Yeah, I guess he has had a pretty rough day. Ben had better do something about that doctor.” She paused a moment, then frowned. “He’d better actually show up to dinner, too. We haven’t seen him in days.” Jay gave a grunt of agreement, and Mal rolled to give him a long, slow kiss. “What are you thinking?” The two fell silent a moment before Jay replied, wrapping an arm around Mal to hold her close. 

“It doesn’t feel right without him, M. I know I shouldn’t be so...I don’t know, greedy? I love you and E and Ben, I really do, but there’s a little part of me that’s been empty since we left the Isle. Since we left C. I thought it was just guilt at first, but then I just missed him so damn much, you know? It really messed me up, and I think that’s why I screwed up while were settling in here after we decided to stay. It’s like I was missing a limb or something.” Mal nodded, giving a small hum of agreement as she gently pat Jay’s chest. 

“Well, he always was your brain, Jay. The two of you clicked in a way he didn’t with me or E, it was like the two of you finally decided to be friends and everything around you just like...fell in place.” Jay flushed slightly at the description, and Mal offered him a soft smile. “I think you loved him first, Jay. And…” she trailed off, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment as she sat up. “And I think you love him most. Even before he came back with us, you’ve never been as involved as Evie, Ben or I with our relationship.” Jay remained laying on his back, eyes squeezed shut at Mal’s words. 

“That’s not fair, Mal. You guys are really important to me. I love you.” Mal’s look softened some as she reached to take Jay’s hand, giving it a soft squeeze. 

“I know you love us, Jay. But who's the first person you think about when you wake up?” Jay frowned, letting Mal tug him into sitting as he considered her question. 

“...Carlos.” Mal’s brow rose in a knowing look, and Jay gave a huff.

“And if you had to pick between me, E, Ben or Carlos to rescue, who would you pick?” Jay shot her a dirty look, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“All of you. Don’t be an asshole Mal, why are you being like this?.” Mal shrugged, leaning back to watch Jay carefully a moment before speaking carefully. 

“I’m not trying to be an asshole, Jay. Just...what was the first thing you thought when you heard about what your dad did to Carlos?” Jay’s frown deepened as he stared at the blanket, thinking back to when he had first been made aware of the situation. 

“That it wasn’t fair. Carlos is mine, not his.” The words were spoken almost unconsciously, and Jay looked surprised at himself as Mal gave him a look. “I…okay I don’t mean it like-it’s not like I OWN him, Mal, oh my evil. I just mean that he’s like…he’s my friend. He’s mine to protect, and I didn’t.” He fell silent, chewing his lower lips as he thought on it for a long moment. “I didn’t. Um. I didn’t like that someone else got to be with him before me. That someone else took what, uh, what I wanted. Evil, that’s terrible to think isn’t it? He doesn’t owe me anything, his body is his to do whatever with but I was so mad, Mal. I was so mad that he didn’t even get to choose to not be with me first because Cruella, my dad and Gaston took that from him. I wasn’t mad at him, just at the situation, and myself.” Mal reached for his hand again, lacing their fingers together as he squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the look on her face. 

“Because you weren’t there to stop it, right?” Jay nodded, and Mal gave a small sigh as she squeezed his hand. “I get it, Jay. I really do. I’ve been beating myself up about it since I went back and I saw him. What we did, leaving him there, not going back to get him? I wouldn’t have blamed him if he hated us. We’d deserve it, after all he’s gone through. But somehow he’s trying to forgive us, and we have to prove that we can earn that forgiveness, that he’s not making a mistake.” She gave him a warm smile, tugging his hand slightly. “Let’s be real here, he’s pretty much already forgiven you. You have to see how in love with you he is, Jay- he barely talks to Evie and I, but he’s right at your side whenever he can be. He’s always been head over heels for you, so of course you’re the first one he’s forgiven. And we’ve barely seen you since we got back to Auradon…unless Carlos is at an appointment or in a different class, and even then you’re very clearing thinking about how he’s doing instead of whatever’s around you. I’m not blind Jay. And none of us are going to be upset if you want to pursue this thing with Carlos and see where it goes. We’re going to love you regardless of if you’re with us or not, just like we love Carlos either way. You know that, don’t you?” Silence settled around them as Jay gave a small nod, and Mal shifted to lean against him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“I need to think about it. I don’t know- Mal, I don’t know what he wants, but I know that anything that happens is going to involve a lot of work and….and he’s worth that. He’s totally worth that, and I know you guys aren’t going to be mad. I just need some time to think.” Mal nodded, and Jay let out a long, slow breath before chuckling. “You wanna play some video games, M?” Mal laughed, wrinkling her nose as she pulled away from him to brush her hair from her face. 

“Oh, you are on. Prepare to get your ass beat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops. we somehow moved from mass group polyiness to jailos / Balvie. Sorry!!!!


	18. Chapter 18

Carlos shifted in his seat, nervously twisting the green emerald ring he wore as Ben watched him, patiently waiting for him to speak. He had ventured forth from his dorm room to seek out the older teen, wanting to speak to him about what the doctor had said, but now that he was seated before Ben his mind was blank. He stared at the desk, the weight of Ben’s stare heavy on him as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. 

“I’m sorry if you were working, Ben. You must have a lot on your plate...I can talk to you about this later.” He could see the pile of paperwork sitting on Ben’s desk, and he could only imagine how much of it was because of his arrival in Auradon. 

“No, it’s alright, really. Evie was just here insisting I take a break soon, so now’s the perfect time to talk. What’s going on?” Ben’s attention caused Carlos to shift in his seat again, and he reached to rub the back of his neck as he gave a small shrug. 

“I don’t want to go to that hospital again, Ben.” He had been thinking about it since he and Gil had talked, about returning to the hospital and being put in the situation he’d found himself in earlier that day. He hadn’t liked it one bit; hadn’t liked how Dr. Wilson had tried to force him into something he didn’t want, how Dr. Sweet hadn’t been there. He didn’t want to go to the next appointment and be left with Wilson again- the man simply reminded him too much of Jafar, and he never wanted to be near the man again. “I don’t like the possibility of that happening again, I can’t- I won’t let myself be seen by that man. I can’t.” It felt like a struggle to get it out, as though every word clung to his tongue in an attempt to stay buried in his throat. It felt like defeat, like he should be ashamed; he had never allowed any of the adults on the Isle to get under his skin as easily as one Auradian doctor had, and he hated it. Auradon was already making him soft, making him bend in ways that he hadn’t on the Isle, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. 

“I understand, Carlos. Would it be better if Dr. Sweet came here to the school for your appointments? It would be up to you if you wanted another doctor to come in his place if something came up and he had to reschedule.” He rolled the idea around in his mind, considering it for a moment for giving Ben a nod of approval. 

“I like that idea. Have him come to my turf.” Ben nodded, a smile appearing on his face at Carlos’ approval, and the younger teen settled back in his chair. “I also wanted to talk to you about Gil.” Ben’s brows furrowed at Carlos’ words, and the younger teen chewed his lower lip as he tried to figure out the best way to start the conversation, fingers dropping to dig patterns into the soft varnish of his chair’s wooden armrest. “I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll make sure Gil’s looked after. He’s not good at taking care of himself, and if anything happens and I’m not here, I need you to promise me that you’ll take care of him.” Ben’s confusion was evident on his face, and Carlos let his gaze drop, not wanting to meet Ben’s. 

“Why wouldn’t you be here, Carlos?’ Ben’s question was softly spoken, as though Ben were afraid to scare Carlos off, and Carlos couldn’t help but feel a little...belittled. He knew Ben knew exactly why he wouldn’t be here- Ben might have been a bit naive, but the king wasn’t an idiot. 

“You know why I wouldn’t be here, Ben. Don’t act like you don’t. You might fool other people, but I know you’re smarter than you come off.” Ben gave a light chuckle, leaning back in his seat as he pushed his hair away from his face with a huff. 

“Are you really going to run away from Auradon because it’s difficult, Carlos? That’s not what I’d expect from the guy who tricked me into getting kidnapped. You’re better than that.” Carlos snorted, sinking back against the chair as he shrugged his shoulders. 

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, Ben, but I’m not settling in here well.” Ben opened his mouth to protest and Carlos shot him a look. “I’m not an idiot either, Ben. The classes are fine, but the other students don’t see me, they just see the kid from the Isle whose mother sold him into sexual slavery. I’m not deaf. I hear what they say about me.” Chad Charming and Princess Audrey were both incredibly vocal regarding their dislike of him, acting as though he was some sort of tainted undesirable and leading other students into acting the same way. “Gil hears it too, and he gets far more upset than I do about it. I know the people of Auradon aren’t any better than the people on the Isle when it comes to being judgmental- they just hide it under smiles and pleasantries.” Silence settled between them for a long moment as Ben contemplated his words, and Carlos sighed as he began picking at the varnish of the armrest again. 

“I wasn’t aware people were talking about you like that, Carlos. I’m sorry. I’ll be addressing that immediately; no one should ever be allowed to speak about your experience like that, to judge you without knowing you. But…” He leant forward, fixing Carlos with a look. “I wish you would stay. Not just because it’s the best place for you to be, here with people who care about you, but because from what I know about you...you don’t give up. Mal’s always telling me about how brave you are, and Evie raves about how smart and funny and sweet you can be. And I’m a little selfish-” He grinned sheepishly, flushing slightly, “-in that I want to get to know you, to be able to see that myself instead of what the others tell me.” He gave a small shrug, leaning on his elbows as he watched Carlos carefully. “Besides, Jay and Gil would probably run off with you if you left, Carlos. I wouldn’t have to take care of Gil.” Carlos frowned at Ben’s words, looking up at the older teen as his fingers dug into the wood of the arm. 

“They shouldn’t. They deserve better than their father’s sloppy seconds.” Ben’s expression dropped at Carlos’ words, concern washing over his face as he reached towards Carlos. 

“You are not sloppy seconds, Carlos. Why would you ever think that?” Carlos shot him a look, staring at Ben a moment before scoffing. 

“You’re serious.” Ben’s frown deepened at Carlos’ words, and Carlos let out a humourless laugh. “Ben, you saw what was happening at the auction. That wasn’t a super uncommon thing for me. I mean, the auction part was new, but everything else? I’m used goods, and Jay and Gil deserve better than that.” He shrugged, sinking into his seat as he turned his gaze to the ceiling, a sudden exhaustion sweeping over him. “My mom’s always been really good at ruining things. Prime example number one?” He gestured to himself, letting his gaze fall back to the king, wanting Ben to see him as more than what he really was- a wreck.

“You’re not ruined, Carlos.” Silence fell between them for a moment, before Ben moved to stand, pushing his chair back before moving around the desk to stand in front of the younger teen. “You’re just a little chipped.” He dropped to his knees, placing his hands on the armrests as he looked up at Carlos, close but not touching. “I haven’t known you that long, but in the time that I have known you, I’ve felt...drawn to you. The others adore you, Carlos. And I can understand why when I see under your dangerous Isle shield to the smart, funny and terrified boy underneath.” He reached to grasp Carlos’ hand, taking it gently into his right as his left slipped to rest on Carlos’ thigh, and Carlos was surprised to find that it didn’t feel invasive or even sexual, just...comforting almost. 

“You’re really not what I was expecting when I thought of the King of Auradon, Ben.” Ben looked up at him, tilting his head slightly in curiosity, and Carlos felt his breath catch slightly, the urge to reach out and run his fingers through Ben’s hair strong. He wanted to curl his fist in the kings soft looking hair and tug, just to see the generally kindhearted teens reaction, and the urge unsettled him. The quiet, focused stare of the older teen was unsettling as well; Ben’s gaze was firm on Carlos, and he was almost unnaturally still kneeling before him. 

“I just want you to be happy here, Carlos. It’s my dad’s fault you were stuck on the Isle, but I want to make it right. I want to make you happy.” Carlos frowned slightly at the almost dazed tone Ben’s voice had taken, and he hesitated a moment before reaching out to gently pat Ben’s head in confusion. 

“Ben, you’re acting kind of strange.” The older teen stared at him as he spoke, and Carlos used the hand on his head to gently push him back from his legs, his brows furrowing at the expression on the boys face. “Ben?” He jumped slightly as Ben shifted to rub his cheek on Carlos’ upper leg, eyes wide and watching him as Carlos shifted uncomfortably in his seat, fingers trailing along Carlos’ inner thigh. “Are...are you feeling alright?” 

“Has anyone ever told you how absolutely perfect you are?” Carlos startled at the words, eyes wide as Ben’s fingers teased along his thigh, bright eyes still focused on his face as an almost dopey smile crossed the king's lips. “So smart, and attractive, no wonder everyone wants you on the Isle. You’re perfect.” He gave a small sigh, and Carlos winced, the words so similar to Gaston’s usual ramblings and too unlike the Ben he’d grown to know the past little while. Something wasn’t right- Carlos knew Ben would never act the way he was normally. 

“Ben, snap out of it right now.” Ben stared at him a moment at his sudden demand before blinking rapidly, sitting up again as a look of confusion crossed his face. 

“I...I’m sorry, what were we talking about, Carlos?” He glanced around, his confusion growing as he realized he was kneeling before the younger teen. “When did I…” He released Carlos’ hand, moving to stand and take a step away from the seated boy as he glanced towards the desk. “What just happened here?” Carlos’ eyes widened as Ben leant against the desk, and he let his gaze drop as he pondered the same thing. 

“You got weird, Ben. You started talking like...like how Gaston talks when we’re alone.” Ben brought a hand to his mouth as Carlos sank into his seat, watching the younger teen sink into himself as he drew his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them as he stared at Ben. 

“I don’t know what came over me, Carlos. I’m so sorry, you know I’d never want to do anything to make you uncomfortable.” Carlos gave a small nod, and Ben rubbed his face before fixing him with a tired look. “You aren’t still thinking of leaving, are you?” Carlos hesitated a moment before shaking his head, voice soft as he replied. 

“No, I guess not.” His fingers curled against his legs, his eyes on Ben as he watched him warily. Ben dropped his hands, giving Carlos a look before moving to sit at his desk again. Carlos shifted awkwardly in his seat before standing, rubbing the back of his neck as he backed towards the door. “I think Evie has a good idea, Ben- you need some time off. I’ll talk to you later?” Ben nodded, and Carlos darted out the door, leaving Ben alone with his thoughts. Ben stared at the pile of paperwork on his desk, shaking his head before pressing the button on his intercom. 

“Please cancel my afternoon meeting and apologize to Merlin, Beb...an emergency has come up.”

-=-=-

He hadn’t planned to pick Chad up to manhandle him into the large garbage bin outside of the kitchens, but he didn’t regret it. He had come across the blond prince while heading towards Ben’s office and couldn’t help but overhear the teen ranting about both Carlos and Jay, bad mouthing the two teens to one of his friends. It had taken all of his self control not to just haul off and punch the other teen, instead tossing him over his shoulder and dumping him in the trash before taking off towards the office, a little pleased with himself. Knocking on the door to Ben’s office, he opened it as Ben called for him to enter, frowning some at the somewhat distraught look on the kings face. 

“Uh...you okay, Ben?” Ben rubbed the bridge of his nose as he gestured for Gil to pull sup a seat, studying him a moment before clearing his throat. 

“I was just about to go find the girls, but I have time for you Gil. What’s up?” Gil settled in the chair, watching Ben carefully a moment as his fingers brushed over the armrests, pausing a moment as his nails traced familiar patterns. 

“Was Carlos here earlier?” Ben started slightly and Gil frowned as the other teen glanced towards the window for a long moment before responding. 

“Yeah. He was. Something really weird happened too...you’ve known Carlos awhile right?” Gil nodded, and Ben shifted in his seat, an uncomfortable look coming over him. “We were sitting here having a conversation one minute, and then the next thing I know, Carlos is telling me to snap out of it and I’m kneeling at his feet. He said that I was acting like...uh. Like your dad.” Gil’s brows furrowed at Ben’s words, and Ben gave a heavy sigh as he slumped in his seat. “I honestly have no idea what came over me, Gil. I just remember thinking that I had to make sure Carlos was happy. Have…” he trailed off a moment, his expression earnest as he tapped his fingertips on the top of his desk, “Have you ever heard or seen anything like that happening before with Carlos on the Isle? It was like I was, I don’t know...compelled to please him. I wanted to impress him.” Gil tilted his head slightly as he thought back to the Isle, taking a moment to consider how people had behaved around Carlos there. 

“Now that you mention it...people would always get really obsessed with him if they were around for a long time. Like my dad and Jafar didnt start obsessing with him the way they were before Cruella sold his weekends to them…huh. I never really thought about it to be honest, I’ve always liked Carlos. He was nice to me when we were little, helped me with a broken arm when I was nine.” Ben frowned at the words, holding up his hand to stop Gil from continuing for a moment. 

“Wait, when you were nine? Gil, he would have been seven.” Gil shrugged, and Ben curled his fingers against the wood of the desk, mortified at the implications of Gil’s words. “So. Okay. So people have always been drawn to him then?” Gil nodded, and Ben sank back in his chair to think the information over. The two sat in silence for a minute before Gil cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly. “Sorry, Gil. There was something you wanted to talk to me about?” 

“Yeah. You’re not sending Carlos back to that doctor, right?” Gil considered that Carlos had been in to speak with Ben and might have already brought the doctor up to him, but he wanted to be sure Ben understood the seriousness of the situation. 

“Carlos won’t be going back to the hospital period, Gil. I’m going to have Dr. Sweet come to the school from now on to prevent something like this from happening again.” Gil nodded, debating bringing up the second item he had been worrying about since his talk with Carlos earlier. “Is there something else?” Ben inquired carefully, not wanting to push the conversation. 

“I think Carlos is thinking of running away.” Ben gave a soft ‘ah’ as he folded his arms over his chest, and Gil rushed to continue. “He’s...what’s the word, when everything feels like too much?” 

“Overwhelmed. Yeah, I’ve noticed that as well. He was talking about leaving the school while he was here earlier, actually. I’m hoping I convinced him to stay before he left.” Gil gave a small sigh of relief, sinking into his seat some. 

“Good. I tried too, but I’m worried about him.” Ben nodded, and Gil snapped his fingers, pointing at the other teen. “You should probably know that Chad Charming has been harassing him. I...might have run into him outside.” Ben’s brow rose, and he gestured for Gil to continue. “He might be in a garbage bin outside.” Ben sighed, rubbing his face before giving Gil an exasperated look.

“In the garbage bin.” Gil shrugged, and Ben snorted, shaking his head. “Did you hurt him?” Gil shook his head, and Ben nodded. “Alright. I’ll deal with that later. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?” Gil shook his head again, and Ben gave him a wide smile. “Excellent. Would you like to join the girls and I for lunch then?” 

“Are you sure?” Ben nodded, and Gil took a moment to pull his phone from his pocket to check it. “Sure. Carlos says he’s going to the dorm room to find Jay, so they’ll probably get lunch together...and I haven’t really seen the girls much.” Ben moved to get up, walking around the desk to wait for Gil to rise as well before gesturing towards the door for Gil to go first, locking the office door behind him as they left. 

-=-=-

Jay was startled awake from his post workout nap by a pressure on his chest, his eyes snapping open as he attempted to sit up some on his bed. Carlos lay beside him, curled into his side with his cheek pressed to Jay’s chest, his fingers pressing over his chest rhythmically. 

“What’s wrong?” Rubbing his eyes, he shifted slightly to face Carlos better, taking in the slight puffiness of the other teens eyes, as though he’d been rubbing them. Carlos shook his head, pressing his face into Jay’s neck for a moment before he began to speak, his words muffled against Jay’s jaw. 

“Ben and I had a talk today.” Jay tried to ignore the soft puffs of air against his skin as Carlos spoke, his arm curling around the smaller teen as he gave a small nod. “I don’t have to go to the hospital any more. He’s going to have Dr. Sweet come here to see me instead.” It was probably for the best; the only time Jay had gone with Carlos to the hospital, the other teen had been miserable. 

“Well that’s a good thing, right?” Carlos gave a small nod, and Jay stroked his hand down Carlos’ back, his fingers pressing lightly along the prominent line of his spine before rubbing circles on his lower back. 

“I guess it is. I’d rather not have to do any of it. Doctors, school...why can’t I just be left alone for awhile?” Jay frowned, turning his head slightly as Carlos shifted to lean over him, gaze intense. “Do you remember the first time we laid like this, in the treehouse?” Thin fingers slipped down Jay’s chest, slipping under the soft fabric of his shirt to stroke along the skin of his side in slow, lazy motions. 

“Yeah. We’d just robbed half the stalls in the market and nearly got grabbed by Radcliffe. I thought you were going to die when we got back to the treehouse, you were wheezing so hard.” He smiled some, remembering how they had collapsed onto the couch, their hearts pounding with fading adrenaline as exhaustion had swept over them. 

“You said you’d never let anyone hurt me that day. It was the first time I’d slept in three days, and I believed it when you said it.” Carlos’ voice was soft, his fingers stroking up Jay’s side to his ribs, and Jay’s breathing picked up slightly at the touch. “And you did protect me, Jay. Right up until you left, and even after you still sort of protected me without knowing it.” Dull nails bit into the skin just under his left nipple, and Jay winced slightly as Carlos continued to speak. “Jafar was always more gentle with me whenever I was missing you. Sometimes, he’d let me sleep in the clothes you left, and they’d still smell like you.” Jay’s hand drifted up to lightly grip the back of Carlos’ neck, and the younger teen sighed as his fingers flattened against Jay’s chest, rubbing gently.

“I’m sorry I didn’t protect you better, C. I should have demanded they let us bring you, or...or tried harder to get you here with us. I should have never let you stay there that long, I’m so sorry.” A silence fell between them as Carlos stared at Jay with an unreadable look for a long moment before the younger teen leaned down to press his lips to Jay’s, kissing him firmly as Jay’s eyes widened in surprise before pressing a line of kisses along the older teen’s jaw. 

“You shouldn’t have left me there, that’s true. But I understand that it’s not fully your fault, Jay.” Jay’s arm tightened around Carlos as he shivered, and he groaned as Carlos rolled on top of him, pinning his shoulders to the bed to kiss him again. “I have a confession to make.” Jay tilted his head slightly, and Carlos licked his lips nervously. “The first time Jafar, uhm…” He bit his lip, and Jay gently gripped his shoulders, sitting up to settle Carlos in his lap, letting the smaller teen pull his arms around him as he settled against him. 

“It’s okay, C. Just take a minute, alright?” He tried to concentrate on Carlos’ breathing instead of his body against him, taking a deep breath as he waited for the other to continue.

“The first time Jafar made me do anything with him, I pretended it was you to get through it.” Jay’s breath caught in his throat at the words, his arms tightening around Carlos a fraction as he continued to speak, his words rushed as he stared at his hands in his lap. “He kept telling me that he paid for the right to do whatever he wanted.” 

“We don’t have to talk about it, Carlos.” Carlos shook his head, reaching to take Jay’s hand to lace their fingers together, squeezing tight as he curled closer. 

“No, I think I need to talk about it, Jay.” Jay nodded, resting his cheek against the top of Carlos’ head as Carlos took a slow breath to steady himself. “I didn’t actually know what was happening the first time mom took me to Jafar’s place. I thought that...that maybe you’d come back for me at first.” Jay winced, and Carlos cleared his throat as he tightened his grip on Jay’s hand, squeezing his eyes shut. “Instead, your dad pushed me to my knees and forced my mouth open so he could fuck it. Mom just stood there and laughed and...and then he gave her money and told her that I was acceptable.” He gave a dark chuckle, sniffling lightly as he rested his head on Jay’s shoulder. “Acceptable. I fucking cried the whole time, cried and begged them both to not make me do it. I wanted my first time to be with you, Jay. I wanted all of my firsts to be with you.” He took a shaky breath, turning enough to press his face into Jay’s collar. “He use to put me in this weird outfit and make me call him my sultan, he liked to-to bend me over the sink and I’d always focus on your name where it was scratched into the sink basin. If I was good I could wear your clothes or sleep in your bed while he was working. One the bad days I just...thought about you.” Jay pulled the younger teen against him, pressing his face to Carlos’ hair as he hugged him tight. 

“Fuck. Fuck, C, if I’d had come back you never would have had to go through that.” His voice broke as he spoke, and Carlos shifted to wrap his arms around Jay’s neck, leaning back to frown at him. 

“Or you would have been stuck with me. Jay...did your dad ever actually do anything to you?” He remembered Jay stating on the Isle that Jafar hadn’t done more than touch him once or twice, but he couldn’t help but wonder. Jay shook his head, pressing a kiss to Carlos’ temple before letting out a sigh. 

“No. He’d feel me up on occasion when he was drunk, but he never got to actually do anything. I hate that he touched you.” He shifted some, and Carlos pushed him until they were laying again, curling into his side. “I hate that they hurt you like that. I’m going to spend the rest of our lives making sure you never have anything like that happen to you again, okay? I’m not leaving you ever again.” Carlos gave a half sniffle, half snort, shifting to press a wet kiss to Jay’s cheek. 

“It’s okay, Jay. I’m okay.” His words were mumbled, and Jay frowned as he pulled him closer, kissing the top of Carlos’ head as he held him close. 

“No, you’re not. But that’s okay- I’m gunna stick around and help you until you are okay, C. Even if it never happens.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the mystery of why everyone is so obsessed with Carlos begins to unravel! :D Bet none of you saw that coming!
> 
> Also just wanted to give everyone a heads up, I'm heading to a convention (Anime/Doll North if anyone's gunna be there!) on Thursday so I won't have time to write until probably next week...maybe. 
> 
> (Also I'm well aware that Ben's secretary is not named Beb but Louise bet me I wouldn't do it. )


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, we're almost at the end! Only two more chapters to go! I know it feels like there's a lot to wrap up, but that's where the next story in this arc, Friday's Child, comes in!

The library of Auradon Prep was nearly as large and extensive as Belle’s library in Beast’s castle, housing hundreds of books on nearly every conceivable topic. After his conversation with Carlos and lunch with the girls and Gil, Ben had gone to the library to take out every book on the villains the school had available. He couldn’t shake the idea that something potentially supernatural had caused the incident between Carlos and himself, something that he hadn’t known about before pulling Carlos from the Isle. He’d taken the books into his room to read, though most mentions of the villains seemed to be simple explanations of their deeds from before the Isle was created with several dedicated to unraveling the potential mental health issues that had contributed to the villains turn to darkness and little mention of their children since most of the books pre-dated the barriers resurrection. He had spent several hours sifting through texts, bent over his desk as the day gave way to evening, and he took a moment to stretch and rid himself of the kink that had developed in his neck before pulling the next book from the pile to read. 

“Knock knock, Your majesty. I don’t mean to intrude, but I wanted to let you know Dude’s back in his kennel now. Hopefully he’ll behave a bit better now that he’s been at the plantation for obedience lessons.” Ben pulled his attention from the book in his lap to look up as Roger Radcliffe opened the door to his room with a small knock. “Oh I’m sorry, am I interrupting?” Ben gestured the man in, motioning for him to sit down and join him as he marked his place in the book he was reading, giving Roger a curious look. 

“Not at all, Roger. I’m just doing some research on the history of the Isle residents. Specifically, I’m currently researching Cruella deVil…actually, you wouldn’t happen to have a few moments to talk before you have to head out, would you?” Roger’s brow rose as he gave a nod, moving to take the seat Ben had gestured to. 

“Certainly, Ben, though why would you want to research Cruella of all people?” Ben glanced at his book at the question, pushing the book away from him some as he leant across his bed towards the older man. 

“As I’m sure you’ve heard from my parents, her son is here at Auradon Prep now and I’d like to educate myself on Cruella’s past in an attempt to understand where Carlos is coming from.” Roger frowned as he leant back in his seat, watching Ben carefully for a moment before clearing his throat. 

“I don’t mean to overstep, your highness, but is that really a good idea? Bringing her son here, to Auradon? Cruella was never very...stable, Ben. The odds aren’t in the favour of any child that shares genetics with her turning out alright, you could be putting people, or more likely animals, in danger.” Ben’s brow furrowed at Roger’s words, taking in the sudden tension in the older man’s posture as he shifted on the bed to face Roger better. 

“Are you a geneticist now?” Roger looked taken back at the words as Ben snapped them out, the teen king scowling some. “Carlos is a good person, even if he’s a bit rough around the edges. Just like Mal, Evie and Jay. Everyone assumed they would be like their parents as well, but they weren’t. I would hope that you wouldn’t judge him before you even knew him.”

“How do you know he’s not going to attack anyone? Or any dogs? I can’t imagine Cruella raising the boy with any kindness, maybe you should send the boy back before someone’s injured.” Ben’s expression darkened some at the implication that Carlos would harm anyone without a reason, and he slid to the edge of the bed to sit properly across from Roger.

“Because he’s afraid, Roger. He’s terrified of dogs and most people to the point of his first instinct being to run as far and fast as possible. He does his best to be invisible because he’s petrified that someone's going to want to do him harm because that’s all he’s ever know. He’s just a scared, hurt teenager...not some sort of monster spawn. And I will not send him back to the Isle so that he can continue to be abused and tortured.” Roger’s expression softened some, and he held his hands up in surrender. 

“Of course, Ben. I didn’t realize you felt so strongly on it- my apologies. I just want you to be aware of that sort of potential ticking time bomb of hereditary illness could be waiting you. I’ve heard what happened before you returned from the Isle, and I’ve heard some fairly concerning rumors about what he’s done since arriving at the school. Anita’s told me stories about Cruella from their school girl days and she seemed perfectly normal herself as a teenager.” Ben frowned, shooting Roger a look as he shifted back on his bed. 

“And who did you hear rumors from?” Ben had his suspicions, and as Roger’s frown grew Ben gave a ‘go on’ gesture. 

“Chad Charming has been keeping me up to date on the situation. He thought it prudent to let me know what was going on with my mortal enemy’s son being let off the Isle.” Ben rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest at Rogers’s words. 

“With all due respect, Roger, Chad’s been causing more trouble with Carlos and Gil than either of them have been causing since getting here.” The two stared at each other for a long moment before Roger cleared his throat, glancing away. 

“With all due respect, your highness, it sounds like your special project is using his, er, charms to get around real recovery. I hear he’s rejected the surgery Jonathan Wilson recommended.” Ben winced at that, feeling a bit dumb for forgetting that the Radcliffe’s often volunteered at the hospital, bringing the dogs in as service animals or recovery assistants. “He doesn’t want to get better, he doesn’t want to participate in his classes according to his teachers...and according to some of the boys on the Tourney team, he’s manipulating that poor boy who came over with him as well as Jay.” Ben’s expression hardened at Roger’s tone, and he moved to stand from the bed to cross the room to his trunk. Opening it, he pulled a length of chain attached to a choke chain collar, moving to drop it into Roger’s lap before leaning against the post of his bed, watching the older man pick it up to inspect with a baffled look on his face. 

“Do you want to know how I got Carlos off of the Isle, Roger?” Roger looked up from the chain to Ben, brow raised as the young king ran a hand over his face tiredly. “Cruella was auctioning him off to the highest bidder. She had that wrapped around his throat while Jafar and Gaston practically molested him on stage.” Roger’s horrified gaze shifted to the chain in his lap as Ben continued. “His mother used his body as a purchasable commodity with little regards to his wants or needs. I don’t believe anyone is being manipulated by him, at least not on purpose on his part- he just wants to not be terrified of waking up to the horror that greeted him every day while living on the Isle. I don’t think it’s asking much that the people of Auradon do their best to avoid making his life even more miserable when the only crime he’s committed is trying to survive.” Roger set the chain on the desk, looking shamed as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“I...didn’t know.” Ben’s nose wrinkled in disdain as he shook his head, turning to move towards the window to look out over the grounds below. 

“No one did. I’ve tried to keep it out of public knowledge out of respect for Carlos’ privacy. Everyone’s so quick to judge him because he’s not nearly as outgoing and open as Gil is, and that’s not fair. Like I said, Mal and the others were rough around the edges when they first came over, but the public adores them now.” Roger gave a nod, his gaze settling on the chain again as he contemplated Ben’s words carefully.

“I suppose I shouldn’t judge the lad before I’ve even met him. Do...you think I could?” Ben hesitated as he turned his attention from the window to Roger, watching him a moment before giving a half nod. 

“If he’s alright with it, I suppose. But I won’t pressure him to do something that makes him uncomfortable.” Roger nodded, and Ben glanced towards the books on his bed with a frown. “I did still have a question about Cruella, if you’re still alright answering it.” Roger gestured for Ben to continue, and the teen began to pace the room as he tried to piece together the words he wanted. “Before Cruella was sent to the Isle, was she ever able to...make people do things? Possibly without knowing it?” Roger frowned, thinking back to before, to the Cruella who had often invaded his and Anita’s home with ridiculous requests of his wife. 

“She had a trinket, if I recall properly. A very specially made trinket that, er...compelled people, I suppose is the most accurate way to describe it. I think it was magic, if I recall correctly- your father called it a Talisman of Evil I believe. I think your mother had a book regarding them, though I’m not sure if she still does...Why do you ask? As far as I’m aware, the talismans have been missing for years.” Ben hummed as he tapped his foot, trying to think of the hundreds of books in his mother’s library in an attempt to recall a book that might mention such items. 

“I was curious. She had quite a few people doing her bidding on the Isle, which surprised me is all.” He had no intention of letting Roger know that Carlos had somehow compelled him without meaning to, not wanting to give the man any ammunition against the younger teen. Roger gave another small nod as Ben offered him a smile, nodding towards the door. “I don’t want to rush you out, but I have a meeting soon that I should be getting ready for. “ Roger moved to stand, making his way to the door as Ben followed quietly behind him. 

“Please let me know what the lad decides about meeting me as soon as possible, if you can. Anita will most likely want to meet him too.” Ben nodded, watching as Roger headed down the hall before returning to his desk, picking up his phone to open his schedule up, reading over it before sending a message to Mal asking her to meet him at the school entrance. 

He had to visit his mother’s library.

-=-=-

Evie glanced towards the door to her and Mal’s room at the soft knocking that had interrupted the silence of her study session. She hadn’t been expecting anyone- Mal, Ben and Jay would have simply entered the room, and most of her customers called before showing up as a courtesy. Frowning, she moved from her desk to the door, opening it to reveal Carlos standing nervously before her. Her frown turned into a smile as she took in his sleepy appearance- the younger teen looked like he had been napping before arriving at her door, and she couldn’t help but think of how adorable he was. 

“Hello, Carlos. Is there something I can do for you?” A part of her hurt at the careful way he held himself as he gave a small nod, the way he shrank into himself even now that he was away from the Isle and his mother. It took him a moment to speak, shifting on his heels as he stared at her before he nodded towards the interior of her room. 

“Yeah. Could I come in?” Evie opened the door wider, gesturing for him to enter the room as she stepped aside to allow him entrance, and as Carlos moved past her she took a moment to really take in the other teen. He had gained a small amount of the weight, though certainly not enough to make her (or, from Ben’s reports, his doctors) happy. Some of the anger that had lit in him like a fire at having been left behind that he’d had on the Isle seemed to have dulled, though she was certain an outburst was lurking just under the surface of Carlos’ perceived calmness, just waiting for an outlet. 

“So what’s up?” She moved to sit on her bed, watching the other teen carefully as he seemed to debate between joining her on the plush mattress or taking up her abandoned seat at her desk. She made no move to invite him to sit with her, knowing that he needed to make the decision in his own time, and pulled one of the soft, plush stuffed animals that Ben had bought her into her lap. 

“Did Grimhilde ever mention anything about my mom having magic to you?” Evie frowned at the mention of their mothers, taking a moment to think back on any conversations she’d had with her mother about the other residents of the Isle. They had talked often about Maleficent’s once powerful magic, about how her mother thought it was often showy and overdone, and how Jafar’s magic had been just the right amount of subtle to gain her mother’s approval, but Cruella- as far as she could recall- had never been mentioned. 

“I don’t believe so, no. As far as I know Cruella doesn’t have any magic…Why?” Her curiosity was piqued; as far as she was aware, Cruella was one of the only villain’s on the Isle who had brought crowds of people under her control with nothing more than her wits and charm, though where that charm had disappeared to after twenty years on the Isle, no one knew. 

“It just doesn’t make sense to me. There’s no reason anyone on the Isle should fear my mom but they do. She’s not magic, she’s not especially charming or strong, so why do people like Jafar and Gaston practically cower to her will?” He moved to sit on the chair, gaze on his hands as he folded them in his lap, chewing his lower lip in thought. “Sometimes men would just do whatever she wanted and all she’d have to do was give them the smallest amount of attention in payment. And…and I’m nothing special, but two of the biggest villain’s on the Isle wanted me? That doesn’t make any logical sense, Evie.” He glanced up at her, and she set aside the stuffed animal as she shifted to the end of the bed, resting her hand on the bedpost as she considered his words. He had a point about Cruella at the very least; it made no sense that people on the Isle put up with her, let alone went out of their way to do things for her when all she did was yell and berate people. She held little power the way Maleficent did, had no items for sale or trade the way Jafar did and lacked the sheer strength of someone like Gaston. 

“I don’t know what to say, Carlos…you’re right about your mom, it doesn’t make any sense that she has any pull over people on the Isle but you’re absolutely right that she does. I never really thought about it before…maybe she does have magic?” She frowned, concerned that the woman was now in Auradon and potentially not being contained properly if no one else had figured out that she could have magic. “Maybe you can ask her?” Carlos shot her a look, and Evie shrank back slightly, her lips tilting downward as she waved her free hand. “Only if you want to, I mean. Ben said you probably wouldn’t want to see her but…” 

“What do you mean if I want to? I was under the impression that I wasn’t allowed to see her, since she’s at that jail Ben set her up in. Is that….is that not true? Am I allowed to see my mom?” Evie’s frown grew as Carlos gave her a confused look, and she gave a slow nod. 

“You can go see her any time you want, provided it’s not during your classes Carlos. Did…did Ben not mention that to you?” She mentally cursed Ben for not having spoken to Carlos regarding Cruella, watching as the realization that he could confront his mother at any time hit the younger teen. 

“No, no one’s told me I could see her. In fact, most people refuse to even talk about her with me. I don’t even know where she’s been put, which shouldn’t I know? I’m her next of kin, I’ve read that next of kin gets to know all the information regarding someone’s location when they’ve been put in jail or the hospital. Or is that a lie too?” He spat the words at her bitterly, and Evie flinched at his tone as she watched him push himself from the seat, beginning to pace the room.

“No, that’s…that’s true. Ben was supposed to let you know all that information, I can’t imagine why he hasn’t yet…he’s very busy right now, it might have slipped his mind?” She moved to sit on the edge of her bed, watching as Carlos paced the room. 

“Not a word, Evie. He hasn’t said a damn thing to me about my mother. Instead all he’s done is throw himself at me and, apparently, hide things from me.” Evie’s brows furrowed in confusion as she moved to stand, reaching out to grasp Carlos’ arm lightly to get him to stop pacing. 

“Wait, what do you mean Ben’s thrown himself at you?” Carlos paused, staring at Evie for a long moment before running a hand through his hair, taking a slow, steadying breath. 

“I went to talk to Ben earlier, and it was fine until Ben started acting…weird. Really weird for Ben. He’s only ever been nice to me since I got here, Evie. I never had a reason to not feel comfortable around him but while we were talking he started acting…I don’t know, like Gaston. He started touching my leg and telling me I was perfect and that he wanted to make me happy and…and it was really unlike the Ben I’ve known since I came here. There was something really off about the whole situation, like…like he couldn’t help himself.” Evie frowned, dropping her hand from Carlos’ arm to hang at her side, and Carlos gave a small shrug. 

“That doesn’t sound like Ben at all. He’d never do something to make you feel uncomfortable, unless…” She frowned, her mind pulling up the image of Ben after Mal’s attempt to seduce him with magic, and Carlos shot her a look at her silence. 

“Unless what?” Evie wrinkled her nose as she turned her attention back to Carlos, rubbing her arm nervously. 

“Unless he was under a spell. Ben’s surprisingly susceptible to magic, we’ve found out.” Carlos frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for her to continue, and Evie swallowed nervously. “I don’t think you’re magic, but…you said it yourself, why would people on the Isle put up with Cruella unless she was somehow compelling them to? Maybe there’s some sort of latent magic that no one’s aware of at play?” Carlos considered her words for a moment before giving a huff, reaching to rub his hands over his face. 

“I need to talk to my mother. No one else is going to know what’s going on if it’s not in any of the books here in Auradon, and…and I don’t know if I can trust Ben now. Not if he’s keeping information for me.” Evie reached for his arm again, giving him a soft look as he allowed her to grasp his hand. 

“I know Ben, Carlos, and he was just doing what he thought was best for you.” Carlos’ expression grew stormy as he pulled his arm away, taking a step back from her as he glared at her. 

“I am so sick of everyone trying to tell me what’s best for me. No one ever asks me what I think’s best for me, no one bothers even telling me what they’ve decided is the best thing for me.” He took a few steps back towards the door, shooting Evie a dark look. “At least with Cruella, I knew what to expect. This? This is bullshit, Evie. Do you know who knows what’s best for me? Me.” He turned on his heel and left, leaving Evie to stare at the door as her heart sank.

She had a feeling she had just messed everything they’d been working towards with Carlos completely up.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more to go!

Jay frowned as he stared down at Carlos’ empty bed, concern washing over him at the sight. Sometime during the night Carlos had left his bed, and the ex-thief was a little distraught to realize he hadn’t woken up at all while Carlos had been moving around their room.

‘Auradon really is making me soft.” He muttered, running a hand through his hair as he glanced towards Gil’s bed where the blond was still fast asleep. Part of him wanted to let the other teen sleep, Gil having returned to the room looking exhausted after his evening out with Ben and the girls, but he knew that the pirate would be upset if he didn’t. Moving to lean over Gil’s bed, Jay reached to shake the other teen gently. “Hey. Dude, wake up...Carlos is missing.” Gil groaned, rolling onto his back to blink up at Jay for a moment before frowning, pushing himself upright to look towards the closet. 

“What do you mean he’s missing?” The blond asked, reaching to rub his eyes as he let out a yawn. “And what time is it?” Jay glanced towards the clock, shifting on his heels as he shrugged. 

“Missing as in gone. And it’s about eight, sorry to wake you up dude.” Gil waved off the words, pushing his blanket off his lap to swing his legs over the side of his bed before moving to pull open Carlos’ closet door. He frowned as he stared at the empty closet, brows furrowed as he turned to look at Jay a moment before moving towards the door of the room, opening it to peer out into the hallway. 

“Where did he go?” Jay shrugged, rubbing his arm as he took a look around the room, noting that Carlos’ backpack was missing from it’s spot on his desk chair. 

“I don’t know, dude, I just woke up and he was gone. Maybe he’s down getting breakfast?” Gil closed the door, moving to check Carlos’ bed before running a hand through his hair. 

“Yeah, maybe. We should go check, he doesn’t usually go without us…” Gil trailed off at a knock on the door, moving to open it again to reveal a distressed looking Evie. The blue haired girl brushed past Gil to enter the room, her fingers clutching the strap to her purse as she stood in the middle of the room, fidgeting. 

“Carlos isn’t here.” Jay shook his head at her words, and she let out a noise as she turned to Gil, giving him a desperate look. “Ben lied to him and he found out. Or I guess he lied by not lying? I don’t...he found out Ben didn’t tell him he could see Cruella any time he wanted, and he got mad. And Chip told Ben that he saw someone leaving just before sunrise but they were too quick for him to catch before they got outside the gate and disappeared. I was worried it might be him, he was upset after our talk yesterday, mad at Ben and said he wanted to talk to his mom…” Jay and Gil exchanged a look, and Evie shook her head. “He must have gone to try and talk to her, it wouldn’t have taken much for him to find out where she is, and it’s not like he’s never trekked across the Isle before, right?” Jay nodded as Gil grabbed some clothes, disappearing into the bathroom to change as Jay tugged on a sweatshirt and a pair of sweats before tying his hair up and grabbing his shoes. 

“If we head out now we might be able to catch up to him. Might. He’s twice as fast as we are on a good day, and if he’s pissed? He’s not going to keep to the roads and he’s not going to stop for breaks between here and the center. Gil?” The bathroom door swung open and Gil swept past them, slipping his boots on before glancing between them. 

“He’s been talkin’ about leaving. He didn’t feel like he fit in, and if Cruella manages to get her claws in him she’s gunna mess his head up.” Gil shook his head, biting his lip. “He’s gunna run, Jay, and not just to see Cruella if we don’t catch up to him between here and there.” Jay nodded, and Evie licked her lips nervously as she glanced between the two teens and the door. 

“Ben and Mal have already checked the cafeteria and other places around the school, they went to make sure he’s not just hiding in the woods around the field. I’ll go help them if you two want to try to catch up to Carlos.” Jay shother a thankful look as he picked his phone up from his nightside table, turning to head towards the door that Gil had already left from. 

“That’s great, E. I’ll message you if we catch up to him, you let me know if you guys find anything. If Fairy Godmother comes looking for us…” He glanced towards where Gil was waiting in the hall for him, giving a sigh. “Tell her that us going was my idea, not Gil’s. Just incase she tries to say he’s being a bad influence or something.” Evie nodded, and Jay clasped a hand on her shoulder before taking off, following Gil down the hall and leaving Evie to close their door behind her as she left to head down towards the field. 

She hoped they’d be able to catch up to Carlos. 

-=-=-

The gates of Auradon Prep were surprisingly easy to get through at four thirty in the morning. He hadn’t expected to find the information on where his mother was being kept as easily as he had, but it had only taken him minutes to hack into Ben’s computer from his laptop to gain the address of the institution she was being kept in. He had packed the bare minimum for what he’d need for the five hour walk, along with a few things he might need if he decided to just keep walking once he’d reached it. He’d been sure to leave as quietly as possible, slipping out of their dorm room as quick as he could without waking either Jay or Gil. 

The road was fairly tree-lined, making it easy enough for him to make his way away from Auradon Prep without the possibility of being spotted from the main road. He had more than enough experience with hiding on the Isle to make his trek fairly easy, and as he slipped through the trees towards where his GPS app had stated the institute was suppose to be he concentrated on not getting lost, his hands gripping the straps of his backpack as he stepped over a fallen tree. 

“It’s safer on my own.” He muttered the words as he ducked under a low hanging branch, guilt settling in his stomach as the thought of Gil and Jay waking up to find him missing tugged at his gut. The memory of Ben’s strange behavior was still strong, strong enough to put him off returning to the school and his companions instead of continuing his trip to the center. “No one can be enticed by whatever it is that’s so enticing about me if I’m alone.” He felt bad- he knew that he shouldn’t run from the others, from the future he could have if he allowed himself to be settled at Auradon Prep, but it was hard not to run when he felt so trapped by the others expectations. The doctors didn’t care about what he wanted, hadn’t bothered asking why he didn’t want the surgery, and though Ben had stepped in regarding it he still felt a heavy pressure to do what the doctor wanted against his will. Teachers tiptoed around him, constantly watching for him to make the final mistake to prove that he didn’t belong in Auradon, and it was…

Exhausting, frankly.

The GPS app beeped, alerting him to the fact that he was approaching his destination, and he shifted his bag as the gates to the Auradon State Rehabilitation Center came into view ahead of him. He shut off the phone, tucking it into his pocket before reaching the gate, staring up at the camera situated above the gate surrounding the small but secure brick building. He kept his gaze on the small blinking light of the camera, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for something to happen. It didn’t take long for a young man to appear at the gate, a confused look on his face as he looked at the teen. 

“I’d like to come in to speak to someone about seeing Cruella deVil, please. My name is Carlos, I’m her son.” The man's eyes widened slightly at his words, backing slightly away from the gate to look over towards the guard house to the left of the gate. A moment later, the gates opened, and the young man gestured for Carlos to follow him. 

“We weren’t sure we’d ever see you here, Mr. deVil. The, uh. King Ben said you had no interest in seeing your mother currently.” Carlos’ expression hardened at the words, his hands tightening on the straps of his bag as he followed the man in silence. “I’m Jacob, one of the orderlies who works with your mother. She’s been asking to see you for almost a week now, so I bet she’ll be pleased to see you.” Carlos snorted, his grip loosening some as they entered the building and followed a long, stark white hallway past the check in desk. 

“Yeah, Ben had...forgotten to mention it to me before yesterday, or I would have come sooner. Can I see my mom right now?” He hoped he could distract the man enough to keep him from having Carlos sign in- the less evidence that he had been to see his mother the better, at least until he figured out what he wanted to do.

“You won’t be able to go into her room, of course, and you’ll have to leave your bag with the orderly working the meeting room today, but you’ll be able to sit with her for a little bit. She’s had a couple of her privileges revoked since getting here...she’s medicated to try and keep her outbursts to a minimum, and the former king has been by to oversee her assessments. King Ben has been adamant that no one else is to visit her until her temper has come under control more, but as next of kin you’re allowed to see her still.” Carlos nodded as Jacob lead him into a nice, cozy looking room full of small seating areas and a television. 

“I should probably give you this, huh?” He slipped his bag from his back, handing it to the nurse nervously as he watched the man sling one strap over his own shoulder. 

“Appreciated. I’ll have someone bring in your mother, if you’ll take a seat?” Carlos sank into one of the seats, folding his hands in his lap as he looked around the room. It was by far nicer than he had expected for a place that housed the likes of his mother- though he hadn’t expected any sort of actual prison, Auradon being what it was, but he had expected something more...secure, he supposed. 

His mother was an actual killer, after all. 

Everyone had avoided any actual discussion about his mother with him in his time at the hospital, as well as any discussion about her current imprisonment at the Rehabilitation center- which, frankly, he’d had no idea Auradon’d had a need for a rehabilitation center, but he supposed that even heros slipped sometimes- or their plans for her long term. The center seemed more like a well secured resort from where he sat, though each room seemed to have a fairly simple electronic lock system that opened and closed using the staff’s thumb print as a key. The system itself was easy enough to figure out, and even easier to override; the school had the same sort of system in place for areas like Fairy Godmother’s office, and Carlos had long since hacked into the security system there to enter as he pleased. The windows were barred, though Carlos doubted that if any villain besides his mother had been housed there it wouldn’t be nearly enough to prevent someone from breaking out. He could feel the tingle of magic around him, familiar from his time with Fairy Godmother, Mal and Evie (and to a lesser extent Jay, though Carlos wasn’t sure if the other teen really knew that he had magic by the way he acted around it whenever Mal or Evie had shown him their own). He assumed the magic kept the right people in and the wrong people out- though he suspected break outs weren’t a thing the citizen’s of Auradon really thought about most days. 

“Carlos! Darling, it’s so good to see you, come give mummy a hug!” He jumped at his mother’s voice, loud and shrill behind him as he turned in his seat to stare at the woman as she entered the room, taking in her appearance. She was well groomed, surprisingly; her hair brushed and tamed as best as it could be, her face washed and clean of any makeup. She wore a red and white conservative looking shirt, soft and flowy looking and unlike anything he’d ever seen her in before, over a pair of black leggings and soft looking slippers, and he couldn’t help but think she looked nothing like the woman who had tortured him for his entire life. She’d gained some weight in the bit of time they’d been off the Isle, though like Carlos himself she still appeared small and slim. She stood before him, arms opened wide and an almost kind smile on her face, and Carlos hesitated before standing to meet her, letting her pull him into a hug and wincing slightly as she hissed in his ear bitterly. “That boy king of yours thought he was quite clever, having me sent here, didn’t he? Jokes on him, this is a lovely vacation. I have almost everything I could ever want here...except my furs.” Cruella released him, dropping into one of the seats and gesturing for Carlos to join her. He settled across from her, keeping as much distance as he could from her as she crossed her legs and stared at him. “Well? What do you want?” Carlos frowned at his mother’s frankness, pressing his back against the chair as he let out a huff. 

“I wanted to ask you a question.” Cruella let out a chuckle, her hands (nail’s blunt and unpainted, he noted- probably to prevent her from clawing at any of the people around her) stroking idly over the arms of the chair she sat in as she shook her head. 

“Or to make sure they had me properly locked up, I’ve no doubt. I can’t say I blame you, Carlos, I’m rather impressed you came to see me at all. Grew a spine here, did you?” She leant forward, nose wrinkled in amusement as she inspected him properly. “They’ve medicated me, runt. They want me to be their quiet little pet here, keep sending me to therapy and doctors. They think I’m on my way to recovery, boy.” She smirked, leaning closer, and Carlos shivered at the intense look in her eyes as she swept her gaze over him, making him feel stripped and naked before her. “But we both know that there’s no recovering from evil, don’t we my pet? You’re just like your mother or you wouldn’t be here, would you?” Carlos shook his head, and Cruella let out a loud laugh, causing him to jump with a start as she fell back against her chair once more. 

“I’m not like you, mom. I’m not crazy.” His words were stronger than he felt, his voice steady as he stared her down. “I need to know if I have any magic in my blood. Either on your side or on whoever was my father’s side.” Cruella’s brow rose as the corner of her lip twitched, and she folded her hands in her lap as she gave a hum, making a show of considering his words. 

“Magic? No, no magic in the deVil line, no. As for your father…” She snorted, rolling her eyes as she sank into her seat some. “As far as I’m aware, the man who shares your blood is perfectly and boringly human. Why do you need to know this?” She grinned as she leant forward again, her hands moving to clutch the arms of the chair once more. “Have you come across some magic abilities, runt?” Carlos frowned at her sudden rapt interest in the topic, and he rubbed his arm nervously as he shot the doorway a quick look. The orderly standing outside was peering back at him, and he gave a small nod as the man gestured in question of if he was alright. 

“Why were Gaston and Jafar so interested in me? We both know I’m not that interesting, mom.” His words were curt, quick and to the point, and Cruella smirked as she shifted her weight to the left, leaning against the arm of the chair as she gave Carlos a calculating look. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, his skin crawling at the simpering tone she took as she responded. 

“You’re very interesting, Carlos darling, don’t you know?” Carlos frowned, and Cruella let out a cackle as she swiftly reached across the space between them to grab his hand, using her grip to pull him closer to her as her fingers twisted his hand slightly. “Haven’t you ever wondered why mummy lets you wear her pretty green ring, Carlos? Why you just can’t seem to take it off, even after I beat you for stealing it from me?” His gaze fell from his mother’s face to the ring sat snug on the ring finger of the hand she held up, a frown crossing his face as Cruella let out a snicker. “We aren’t magic, but we certainly have a way of making magic our bitch, boy.” Carlos’ frown deepened as he pulled his hand free from his mother’s grasp, staring at the ring as he twisted it on his hand anxiously. 

“The ring is magic?” He asked, brows furrowed as he considered the implication of Cruella’s information. “The ring makes people…what, want you?” He tore his eyes from the ring to look at his mother, who simply nodded at him. 

“Of course, boy. Why else would those two imbecile’s fall all over themselves for a child? The talisman’s magic stopped working for me years ago, but the lingering effects are still there, still make the men of the Isle respect me and want to please me when they’re near me, but you…” She sneered as she lunged for him again, grasping his arms tightly to pull him closer. “You’re an even better conduit than even I was, my boy. There’s been no magic on the Isle until you opened that hole, and that magic had no place to go besides down into you.” She gave him a look, almost proud, before she reached out to run her fingers along his jaw lightly, tilting his face to look at him properly. “You’re such a smart boy, Carlos. I’ve hated you since you tore your way out of my womb, don’t be mistaken, but I’ve always been rather proud of you. No other child on the Isle raised themselves quite as efficiently as you did, my boy.” A part of Carlos, deep down, preened at his mother’s words of pride, something he had never expected to hear from the woman. 

“So the ring is magic. Okay…but how does it work? Grimhilde always said that magic is useless without intent.” He chewed his lower lip as he considered everything the woman had ever told him about magic- not much, in retrospect, but they’d had a few conversations about the basics of magic when it had become evident that Evie would not be returning to bring her mother off the Isle. “I never knew about it, so I couldn’t have had intent to use it.” Cruella rolled her eyes, letting her hand drop from his face to give him an unimpressed look as she shifted in her seat again. 

“Intent isn’t always a conscious effort, boy. Can you tell me you never once thought about how much easier it would be if you had, say, the little fae girl and Jafar’s brat in alliance with you?” Carlos’ eyes widened as Cruella grinned, tapping the side of her nose. “Once you opened that hole, the magic came down to you, settled in you…and it needed an outlet. The ring’s very good for capturing magical energy to be used later, and even with the barrier repaired it remained with you. It needed an outlet, and every time you thought of a way to make your life easier by using others, the ring latched onto the ideas and did it’s best to make it happen even dampened by the barrier as it was. Magic’s almost a living thing, afterall, and what it wants it wants. Of course, once your little friends left the Isle, the pull of the ring on them lessened to a point where they no longer had a pull to be near you, and you were forgotten, weren’t you puppy? Forgotten until those dirty little pirates took you in when you needed them to. When you compelled them to.” He winced as she simpered at him, hunching his shoulders as she gave him an almost sympathetic look. “Anita was the same way, of course. Roger, nasty man he is, he had no thrall for the ring, but my Anita was so easily pulled in by it…” She grinned, relaxing back against the chair once more as Carlos wrapped his arms around himself. “Gaston and Jafar won’t forget you as easily, I’m afraid. Those two morons completely gave into the thrall of the ring, and then you proved yourself intelligent and compelling to them.” She considered him a moment before she let out a huff, waving her hand idly as she let her head fall back against the cushion of the chair. “So has it started here yet then? Do you have them all throwing themselves at you? I imagine you’re enjoying it, you always were a little attention whore. Always wanting me to pay attention to you, needing something.” She gave a sneer, her shoulders slumping slightly as she stared at the ceiling above her almost angrily. “Always wanting something from me.” Carlos sat in silence for a long moment before shifting, reaching to tug his hair as he considered the information Cruella had provided him. 

“It’s started here in Auradon, yeah. I…how do I make it stop?” He moved his attention to the ring on his finger, startled to find himself met with an almost block when he considered simply removing it. Cruella let out a dark laugh, lifting her head to stare at him as he twisted the ring on his finger, his anxiousness visible. 

“You can’t make it stop, Carlos. Haven’t you been listening? The ring’s chosen you now, you won’t even be able to take it off here in Auradon. The only thing that made it stop working on the Isle was Fairy Godmother’s magic….or. No.” She frowned, sitting upright again as she shook her head. “Merlin’s magic. Merlin’s the one who blocked the magic of the talismans to prevent them from being usable on the Isle before the barrier was set, now that I’m thinking of it. He’s probably the only one who would be able to stop it now.” She snorted, raising her arms in a stretch as Carlos felt his stomach drop some at the information. “Merlin’s always been the better magic user of the two, frankly. Even a mutt like you would be able to learn from that man, and as I said, there’s nothing overly remarkable about you, magically speaking.” She glanced towards the doorway as it opened, sneering as the orderly stepped in. “It would appear that our time is up, then. It was-“ the corner of her mouth turned up in a sneer as she moved to stand over him, his eyes on her as she placed her hands on her hips, “-such a lovely time, my boy. You’ll have to visit again, mummy just loves your company.” She smirked as the orderly placed a hand on her arm, turning to leave with him before pausing, glancing over her shoulder with an evil glint in her eyes. “It must be heartbreaking to learn that no one’s ever liked you for you, mustn’t it my spotted little runt? To think, that rings the only thing that’s kept you alive these past six months…” She burst into laughter as she was lead from the room, and Carlos took a moment to gather himself before he stood as well, a bit shaken by his mother’s parting words as the orderly who had brought him in entered the room and made his way to him. 

“How was your visit?” He asked carefully, gaze wary as Carlos took his bag from the man before slinging it over his shoulders. He stood silently for a moment before shaking his head, rolling his shoulders slightly to release some of the tension he’d had. 

“I don’t think I’ll be coming back.” He stated, his voice cracking slightly as he clutched at the straps of his bag, nails digging into the fabric as he willed himself to keep it together. Jacob nodded slowly, gesturing for Carlos to follow him the way they’d entered to head towards the front of the building once more. 

“Would you like me to call the school to arrange for a pick up?” The man asked as they reached the desk, turning a curious look to Carlos as the teen shook his head no. 

“No thank you. There’s someone waiting for me in town, and…I think the walk will do me good after that. Auradon’s safe, afterall…” Jacob nodded, and Carlos flashed him a smile as he edged towards the door, his smile dropping slightly as he turned to leave out the door into the court yard of the center. He hurried along the drive to the gate, waving at the guard as he was let out and quickly taking off down the road opposite the direction of the school as his mind swam with information. 

The rings magic compelled people to like him. 

He wondered if that meant that no one had ever really been his friend; his mother had certainly been right regarding the fact that Mal and the others had forgotten him seemingly overnight, and he wondered if the ring had been responsible for the feelings Jay, Gil and the others claimed to have for him. He wondered how he could have been so blind- there was no way Mal and Jay would have wanted to be his friend so suddenly, not when they had gone out of their way to harass him before they had been shoved together to find Maleficent’s scepter. Evie, he could possibly believe; the girl had always been nicer than most on the Isle, and Carlos had been the only one not to avoid her when she had returned from her exile. The pirates….he wanted to believe that Gil, at least, liked him for him and not because of the rings thrall, but he had no idea if he did or not. He wasn’t even sure the other teen would know- did the ring force people against their will, make them like him even if they didn’t? If they hated him? It explained why Harry was suddenly amicable to their arrangement after spending some time with him, why Uma had taken him in when she had been so adamant about refusing him when he’d first approached her. It explained why Ben had practically thrown himself at him, as well; the magic would be much stronger in Auradon, of course, and Carlos had been thinking about how he had wanted Ben to like him just before it had happened. 

Did that make it his fault? Was he compelling people, changing how everyone around him thought of him? If he was, he didn’t want to. He never wanted to force someone to like him when they didn’t, never wanted to be like his mother. He had no desire to force people to crave his approval and attention, barely wanted attention himself most days...

His breath caught in his throat at the thought of Jay being forced to say he wanted him. 

Of Gil being magically forced into thinking he might love him. 

He was no better than his mother; he should have known something was off, he was smarter than that. He stumbled in his walking as the thought of having compelled people tore at him, and he reached to try and pull the ring from his finger, his breathing growing heavy as he struggled to pull it from his hand. It stuck to him, clinging to his finger and refusing to budge past his knuckle, and he let out a frustrated sob as he let his hand drop, panic taking him over. He couldn’t go back to the school, not if he was making people do things they didn’t want to- he would not become his mother. But he had no desire to return to the Isle either, the thought terrifying him almost as much as the thought of returning to the school did. He thought about his mother’s words, the hints of information she’d provided him regarding the ring, and a single name stood out to him. 

Merlin. 

Merlin was the one to nullify the magic of the talisman to begin with, so logically he would be the best person to approach regarding his issue. He remembered reading something about Merlin in the History Of Magic books the school library had, and he pulled out his phone to turn it on, loading up the internet to search Merlin’s name. Several thousand hits immediately popped up, and after a few minutes of searching he had both the name of the kingdom the magician lived in (Camelot Heights) and general directions to Locksley. He was fairly close to the boarder of Aurdaon Central and Camelot Heights, but he knew that the others would notice he had left by the time he reached the boarder, and he didn’t want to make it any easier for them to find him than necessary. According to his calculations, there was a spot where the boarders of Westerly and Cinderellasburg met that would be easy to slip into East Hude up to Locksley and then across the border to Camelot Heights easily enough. He shut off his phone again, uncertain if there was a way the others would be able to track it, and vowed that once he reached Locksley he would trade it for another if possible, or even for transportation. If he had to contact the others it would be easy enough to find out how to reach them using Ben. He thought about sending Jay or Gil a message, but his fingers froze before he could turn the phone back on, the guilty tug in his stomach at thinking of how the two might react keeping him from doing so. Instead, he tucked the phone into his bag, taking a moment to ensure he had everything he’d need- more than he’d ever had on the Isle, which would suit him for now until he could make it into a town to try and get items better suited for travel. He shouldered his bag again, taking a deep breath to steady himself as he started down the road, determined. 

He would get to Camelot Heights. He would speak with Merlin. And then, maybe once the talismans hold was broken….

Maybe then he would return to Auradon Prep to see if the others still liked him.


	21. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Thank you all so much for sticking through Thursday's Child. I know if might feel like there's a lot that hasn't been covered in the ending (The adults, mostly, I've been yelled at about) But don't worry- it'll all get covered in Friday's Child. I'm going to take a few days off writing (Today is my wedding anniversary and Friday is my birthday) but I will have the first part of FC up within the next week before I go away on vacation! (Rival's will be updated probably by Sunday so it's not even really a break whoops)
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it!

“He saw his mom, the guy working the gate says he left here and headed west towards Cinderellasburg or possibly Westerly. He wasn’t sure, just knew he took off in the opposite direction of the school.” Gil paced along the road outside the gate for the rehabilitation center as Jay spoke into his phone, both anxious to finish checking in with Ben and the girls and continue looking for Carlos. “No, Ben, if you send strangers we’ll never find him. If we want to find him Gil and I are probably the best bet.” Gil glanced at Jay as the other teen made a noise in frustration, a heavy tension in his shoulders as he listened to whatever Ben was saying in response. “No, I’m not-tell her I’m not coming back until we find him. I don’t care, I’m not abandoning him again, Ben!” Gil jumped slightly as Jay’s voice rose, and he paused in his pacing as he waited for Jay to continue. “I’m not abandoning him again, Ben. I can’t. I-yeah. Alright, we can stop into town and get some supplies...no. You guys need to stay there, in case he comes back to the school, and Ben you should try to talk to Cruella, see if hesaid anything to her about where he was going. Plus who knows how this is going to affect our ability to bring more kids over. Yeah, you should give them a call for sure...okay. Yeah. Love you guys. I’ll make sure we check in once we reach town okay? Okay. Bye.” Gil watched Jay as he hung up, letting the other teen have a moment before he reached out to pat his shoulder lightly. 

“Ben’s gunna let us go find him?” He asked, rolling his shoulders as he reached to pick up their bags from where they had placed them near the gate when they had arrived twenty minutes earlier. Jay gave a nod, reaching to take his bag as he tucked his phone into his pocket before turning to look at the road leading away from the center. 

“Yeah. I didn’t really give him much choice but...dude if you want to go back to the school I won’t hold it against you.” Gil shot him a look, and Jay held up his hands. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. I told him I wasn’t coming back before we found him.” Pulling his pack on, Jay let out a huff as he rubbed his face. “I don’t...Ben’s going to call into Cinderellasburg, get us some supplies.” Gil nodded, and the two started off down the road towards the sign pointing them to Cinderellasburg. 

“Where do you think he might go?” Jay shrugged, eyes on the road ahead of him as he considered Carlos’ options. 

“It’s hard to say, man. I don’t...I don’t know why he ran away, or what he’s looking to do out here or anything.” Jay gave a frustrated noise, shoving his hands into his pockets as they walked. “Mal’s going to try to track his phone, but let’s be real, Carlos is going to have figured out we can track him from his phone.” The two walked in silence for several minutes before Gil cleared his throat, reaching out to grasp Jay’s wrist lightly. 

“We’re gunna find him, Jay. I don’t think he was running away from us, just...from how overwhelming Auradon can be.” Jay nodded, and Gil hesitated a moment before letting his hand slip to lace their fingers together, giving Jay’s hand a squeeze. “You were one of the best trackers on the Isle, dude. We’ll find him.” Jay nodded, letting Gil lead him by his hand as his thoughts turned to Carlos. No one at the Rehabilitation Center could tell them what Cruella and he had talked about, and that concerned him- Cruella had a way of twisting words and emotions, and he’d seen the woman torment Carlos more times than he could count. He was certain that whatever Cruella had said to him was key as to where Carlos had gone, but the orderlies had refused to let them speak to the woman. Their best hope was to go to Cinderellasburg and work their way up, through Westerly and Camelot Heights. Carlos had a distinct look; while Jay was sure he could dye his hair or cover his freckles, kids from the Isle- even those as adept at hiding in plain sight as Carlos- had a distinct roughness about them that called to other Islers and stood out amongst the citizens of Auradon. 

No matter where he was, no matter how long it would take...they would find him.


End file.
